Order of the Sacred Blades: Child of Misfortune
by Sir Pargal
Summary: Before the story of a traveling swordsman there was another hero with an untold story. This is the prequel to my first fic: The Story of a Traveling Swordsman. Contains minor language and moderate violence.
1. Introduction

INTRODUCTION

The world of Elhorn: corrupted by the wars of feudal kingdoms for centuries was once again facing the nightmares of full-scale battle.  In a dire attempt to bring the Devotindos Empire to its knees after countless threats from the Emperor himself, the Kingdom of Zebulos, led by their supreme commander the Rocket Knight Seiji Sanjulo, marched onwards in attempt to gain ground on Devotindos territory.  This in turn, they hoped, would force the Emperor under pressure to cease his threats of invading Zebulos.  While a pre-emptive attack brought Zebulos under great risk there seemed no other way to resolve the matter.

Tapping his contacts within Zebulos, Emperor Devilgus Devotindos caught word of the plans for this pre-emptive strike and ensured that his own forces were awaiting the arrival of the Zebulan troops.  The first clashes of the long war rang out bringing heavy casualties and suffering to both sides igniting a series of battles that would last many months afterwards.  As time progressed the battle-lines had been pushed forward into the outlying lands of the Devotindos Empire right on the boarder of its neighboring nation, Haruk.  At this time the Zebulan forces, which appeared to be making excellent ground, were finally brought to a standstill as Emperor Devotindos sent the bulk of his fleet to the borderlands to suppress the Zebulan invasion once and for all.  As a result the Zebulan army was forced to stand ground and set up temporary settlements just inside the borderlands until further reinforcements could be sent from the capital.

In one of these settlements lives a simple working peasant with a sorrowful and adventurous past that volunteered his services to the Zebulan Army taking both himself and his loving wife much farther into the grasp of danger than he ever could have imagined.   This is where everything begins…


	2. Part One

**Order of the Sacred Blades**

By: Sir Pargal

**Part One - Child of Misfortune**

The morning fog was just beginning to lift on the battlefield overwhelmed by Zebulan and Devotindos forces only hours before. The ground was contaminated with the stench and the presence of blood from the fallen as a small Zebulan patrol marched through the area which they managed to claim after hours of tedious battle. One of them clad in the armor of the Rocket Knights, the pride of Zebulos' forces, and the other next to him was dressed as cadet from the academy. They rode on horseback through the dense fog up a leveling hill steadily overlooking the corpses scattered around them. The Rocket Knight stopped for a moment and the squire came to a halt alongside him. The knight removed his helmet and looked down at his saddle shaking his head from side to side.

"Take a good look at this place Chad…" The Rocket Knight spoke, "…The price of victory has been too steep lately. The Devotindos have made it blatantly obvious they have no interest in yielding after this battle."

"I'm beginning to wonder if we'll ever see an end to this, Sir Alec." Chad spoke gazing around him at the corpses that appeared no older than he was.

The sound of a horse approaching could be heard becoming louder as it approached Sir Alec through the fog carrying a fellow Rocket Knight on its back. He rode next to him saluting.

"Sir, I'm confident that the enemy barracks were stationed in this exact region, but we cannot determine exactly where due to the fog. Scouts are reporting that it should be visible once over this hill."

Alec moved up towards the peak and focused below him and could see faint trails of smoke at the foot of the hill. He slowly rode down towards it as the two others followed him. The smoke led them directly into the Devotindos fortress they had been searching for where fires had broken out and had finally begun to die out. What came next shocked everyone. Masses of the corpses of Devotindos soldiers were stacked into piles outside the gate of the fort that stood like piles of hay left out to dry. Alec's eyes widened at the sight as he looked down to find himself standing in their blood. He backed away and looked back at Chad and the knight.

"Don't come any closer…I'll handle it from here." He commanded.

They nodded and remained where they were as Alec moved farther in towards the barracks. He continued to glance around only to find more stacks of corpses lining the area and small dying fires.

"How many are here?" He thought, "Surely more than three dozen…perhaps more than that inside the barracks itself…this must be the work of a well trained unit."

He continued to advance when he suddenly heard loud breathing that sent a shiver through his body unable to see in the fog. He traced it to his right as he slowly crept over with his hand to his sword. As he continued to edge forward he found yet another bloody pile of Devotindos corpses where the breathing was seemingly originating. He continued to look over the pile when he was suddenly met by a pair of large dark sapphire blue eyes staring directly back at him. He jumped back momentarily, and then crouched back down. It was a Zebulan panting heavily under the pile of corpses. Alec slowly extended his hand towards the pile. Moments later it was grasped by a cold, bloody leather glove. This in turn caused Alec to jump momentarily as he pulled the stranger from the corpses. To his surprise emerged an able-bodied Zebulan foot soldier covered in pigs blood still grasping his sword in his left hand. While his messy blond hair was stained orange from the blood his deep blue eyes remained clear and open as he attempted to catch his breath, gazing at Sir Alec with a look of gratitude.

Alec looked back at the pile of bodies before returning the stare from the young foot soldier.

"It seems like you were involved in quite a battle here, young man. Who did all of this? What unit are you a part of?"

"…I'm from the 17th patrol unit from Treven…" The soldier replied exhaustedly.

"A reconnaissance unit? What on Elhorn are you doing so deep into enemy territory? Where is your commanding officer?"

"He was killed…they all were. I had no choice but to kill these soldiers…"

"Kill these…? Do you mean to tell me you did all of this by yourself?" Alec said looking around him one more time.

"I had to…otherwise…no one would be able to capture the fort, right?"

Alec was shocked as he began pondering how a single soldier could have overpowered all of the Devotindos before him by himself. Regardless he was somehow certain the tired soldier in front of him was telling the truth.

"…Remarkable…so you were the one that brought halt to the cannon fire here. We certainly owe you our deepest gratitude. You are most definitely a fine warrior. Have you trained at the battle academy before?"

"No sir…I'm actually a farmer from Treven…just a simple farmer…I fight simply because I have to…maybe even because I want to."

Again Alec found himself in awe. The idea that anyone with no previous battle experience could have accomplished such an act was beyond him entirely.

"Simply amazing…I must commend you…may I ask your name soldier?"

"It's Blaze sir. It's an honor to meet a Rocket Knight in person." He said bowing his head.

"…I believe the honor is all mine today, Blaze. I am terribly sorry for what has happened to you and your unit, and I understand this leaves you without a post. Under the circumstances I will grant you a few days to return home while headquarters makes plans to have you transferred. You've certainly earned some time to yourself. I'm sure you have a place to return to?"

"Yes sir…I have a wife and a son back home in Treven. I'd like that very much sir."

"Very well then…let me help you out of there…" Alec said helping blaze walk back to where Chad and the knight remained.

As they walked back Blaze began to think about what he had just done. With every manipulation of his sword he felt something he had never felt before. It was something he welcomed and embraced yet it was also something terrible and yet wonderful at the same time. As he walked back to leave the region he single-handedly claimed he began to ponder.

"…Why am I acting like this?" He thought, "I've always tried to imagine what a warrior must feel like on the battlefield during those crucial moments. I've tried to guess at what that must feel like, and now I've actually taken part of it. This isn't right. This isn't what I am. Since my early childhood I've had images of what a warrior is forced into my life, and I always feared them; I always feared the warriors until now. What made me do that just now…? Was it because of you, Despote of Devotindos? Are you the reason all I feel is happiness when I killed these soldiers today? Damn you…"

Blaze's thoughts turned to Commander Despote, one of the leaders of the Devotindos army that was coming ever so close to destroying the Zebulans with every passing day. He began to think back to that tragic day when everything he knew and loved was taken away by that same officer.

A scared young boy remained shivering and was frantically looking around as his town burned to the ground. Only a few villagers had managed to escape as the fury of the Devotindos strike forces came swiftly and deadly. As he looked around him there was not a single rooftop spared from the raider's torches. Two soldiers on horseback came charging at him as he turned around to look. Trying to get away, the boy slipped on the muddy ground below his bare feet nearly being clipped by a horse as it stormed through. Slowly picking himself off the ground he looked around for a familiar face, but the town appeared completely empty. Finally a man came running his way and his eyes lit up with relief as he ran towards him.

"Father…!" The boy shouted running to his father's arms.

"Blaze, I'm so glad you're safe I've been worried sick! I thought you'd been captured!"

"Father, where's mom? Is she all right?" Blaze asked frightened.

"I had to leave her to find you. We have to hurry back before they manage to reach our house. The townspeople have all gathered nearby. Now that we've found you we can escape to the mountains." Blaze's father said taking him by the arm running down the street.

Looking around only brought tears to Blaze's eyes as he saw friends and their families slain in the streets and their homes burning. He continued to look down at the ground moving quickly in front of him while trying to shut it all out and wishing it would all go away. Suddenly his father came to a halt and Blaze looked in front of him to see why. To his horror he found his house set aflame. Next to it stood the mass of townspeople all being cornered into the side of a wall by four Devotindos soldiers. In front of his home was a Devotindos officer staring at the house with a bloody sword in hand. A soldier next to him caught eye of Blaze and his father and tapped the mighty pig commander on the shoulder.

"Umm…Captain Despote we have some guests…" He said pointing to them.

The Captain turned around with a snicker on his face. As he chuckled his unkept light colored hair bounced atop his head with him.

"Well well…came back for the woman I'm guessing? Too bad you're a few moments too late. As I might have guessed she resisted our company so I had to do away with her." He chuckled as he snorted holding his bloody sword up for them to see.

Blaze froze up immediately. His father remained still filling with a mixture of dense emotion with every passing second.

"You bastard…you hide behind your troops and your rank, but probably don't have the guts to fight a real soldier!"

Captain Despote just chuckled and placed his sword at his side.

"I'll take that as a proposed challenge. Sure, why not. Give the peasant your sword." He said looking at the Devotindos soldier next to him.

"S…Sir?" The soldier replied almost shocked.

"You heard what I said; give the peasant your sword! Unless you prefer to be placed with the prisoners?"

"…N…No sir, right away." He said walking over to Blaze's father handing him his weapon.

"To make it interesting I'll even promise to leave this village be if you defeat me." Despote said placing his sword out in front of him with a smile across his face.

Blaze's father tightened both of his hands around the hilt of the blade as he charged at the mighty Captain fiercely. The townspeople watched in terror.

"There's no way he can outmatch him! Despote is the type of soldier that becomes a monstrous myth in time!" One of the peasants said to his wife next to him.

Blaze watched frightened as his father slashed upward which the captain simply leaned back to avoid. Becoming increasingly angry his father threw his back into everything he had left in him which nearly made contact as his horizontal slash continued through positioning him with his back to the captain shortly afterwards. In turn the captain saw it as an opening and struck with his own blade down his back. Blaze cried in sorrow as he watched his father drop the sword and stumble back towards him finally coming to rest on his knees before Blaze. He rested his head on Blaze's shoulder as Blaze continued to stare down the vile Captain in shock. Captain Despote flicked the blood from his sword in a single swipe and sheathed it in a fluid motion of his wrist.

"Blaze…" His father said slowly turning his head up towards him, opening his eye, "I'm sorry I made you see this. Please know that no matter what happens your mother and I love you, and we'll be watching over you always. I'm so sorry Blaze…" He said before shutting his eyes once again collapsing onto of him and forcing Blaze to fall back onto the ground.

As the shock began to wear off, Blaze's eyes began to burn and then became moist as tears fell down his cheeks on the floor. The image replayed in his head again and again as he laid there with his back to the street staring up at the dark burning sky. Then the burning of his eyes became a burning of his heart as he reached over and turned his father over in the street. He finally rose up and held his arms out in front of him gazing at his bloody sleeves as the tears fell down onto his shirt. Acting on impulse he yelled. It did not matter to whom as he simply cried out to fate itself in the streets as if calling for something that would not answer.

"Why did you do this?" He asked the Captain sniveling, "Why did you have to do this to us?"

"…Because I like you boy." The Captain chuckled, "Some people go through their lives completely happy, and never realize that life itself is never that simple. It came to my attention that you had such a life up until now. All I simply wished to do was show you the side of life you have never seen before casting you out from this world. I wanted to show you everything so that you wouldn't have any regrets when I bring my sword down over your head."

It was at that statement that Blaze began to flow from a deep sorrow into a deep anger as he reached for the sword at his dead father's side and grasped it firmly before the general who started to laugh at the sight.

"My my…the peasants are incredibly strong willed today, are they not?" The Captain said unsheathing his sword again looking as though he was ready to accept the challenge.

"Look, up on the hilltop!" One of the peasants said in the group.

Everyone, including the Captain and the Devotindos, looked to where the peasant was pointing. To everyone's surprise, a troop of Zebulan soldiers passing through the area caught sight of the flames and came to investigate. While they were unsure of whom or how many had come, the townspeople looked relieved.

"A band of soldiers! We're saved!" One of the peasants cried out as the soldiers atop the hill looked as though they were preparing to advance. Then the Captain began to chuckle again.

"I think not!" Despote said raising his sword above his head as it shined brightly atop his head, "To those who stand above me. I am Captain Despote of Emperor Devilgus Devotindo's Gray Banner Knights! Come any further and I will slay all of these good people, and then come for you!"

Suddenly the soldiers atop the hill halted and rode back to where they were originally spotted. Despote continued to laugh out loud.

"That bastard! Not even the soldiers are willing to help us fend off this fiend!" Another townsperson spoke.

Again the Captain turned his attention to Blaze. He shivered at the sight of the mighty soldier as everyone watched off to the side.

"Won't anyone help this poor child?" A townswoman among the group spoke. There was complete silence.

"…To attack Captain Despote is like asking for your own death. Not a man in this town has the ability to fight a professional soldier like him!" One man finally spoke.

"Cowards! All of you!" She said running past one of the guards quickly and standing in front of the maniacal Captain as everyone held their breath.

"This child has no business with you. How dare you even consider striking this child down after all of the pain you have caused him as it is!"

"Enough!" The captain snapped striking her with the back of his fist sending her to the floor. The townswoman's husband struggled to get to her side in anger, but the guards held him back as the Captain continued to chuckle now once again facing Blaze.

"Now where were we young man?" He said with a grin.

The soldier who was standing next to Despote a moment ago slowly walked over to his side.

"Captain…look up at the hill…" He said pointing to the hilltop with a slight whimper in his voice.

The captain looked up to see a horse mounted soldier parting a group of the others in the middle of the hilltop.

"Hmm…now who could this be?" Despote thought watching the hill.

Suddenly the unknown soldier dismounted his horse and shot straight up into the air before jolting straight down past the hill and landing just before the town. The shadowed figure's cape trailed behind him like a mighty banner as he finally came to a halt at the town's gate. The shadows lining the figure became illuminated by the flames of the town as a dark eyed and light blond haired Zebulan warrior dressed in a shiny blue breastplate and draped in a scarlet cape walked into the square. He lifted his flight goggles to his forehead and looked around at everyone. Gasping could be heard throughout the crowd of townspeople. The Devotindos soldiers paused as their eyes widened at the sight of the man. The soldier next to Despote fell on his backside and slowly pushed himself across the floor behind the Captain not taking his eyes off the stranger for a second. Blaze just looked back at the strange warrior in confusion having never seen him before whereas the Captain began to laugh almost as if in a state of joy.

"This is a great day! Truly this is one of my finest hours!" Despote spoke to the soldier, "Never in my wildest dreams would I EVER have imagined I would have opportunity of having you stand before in a place like this, Lord Seiji Sanjulo of the Rocket Knights!"

"It IS him!" One of the peasants cried in happiness, "The White Blade of Zebulos, the Rocket Knight Seiji Sanjulo!"

"I've heard so much of you that I knew I would have to do battle with you sooner or later Lord Sanjulo. Now seeing you here sends a passionate feeling of knightly exhilaration through me."

"How dare you consider yourself a knight, Captain. After what you have just displayed a title no bolder than 'bandit' is a deserving of you."

This caused Despote to stir with anger. However he remained calm and still while chuckling at the words as Seiji stood his ground.

"Well now that we've exchanged introductions I think it's only fitting that you demonstrate what they say about the living legend of Zebulos…guards, to your arms!" Despote commanded as the soldiers left their posts now pointing their swords at Seiji.

Seiji remained still as the soldiers proceeded to surround him while his sword remained sheathed at his side. Everyone else including Blaze watched slightly concerned as to how he planned on dealing with such an encounter. When they had finished Seiji took a deep breath and closed his eyes. This shocked the townspeople somewhat, but Despote watched intrigued. Suddenly without warning one of the soldiers in the rear dashed forward with his sword pointed in Seiji's direction. He quickly raised it above his head and then downward. Feeling a slight vibration in his arms as he passed Seiji he looked to him to find his eyes still closed. Suddenly the sword which was intended to strike a blow shattered into thousands of shards in his hands. He quickly looked down to see Seiji's sword had been drawn in amazement as his armor cut in two before he came crashing to the ground in front of the other soldiers. Meanwhile everyone else had watched it happen and also watched in awe as Seiji sheathed his sword. Taking advantage of the situation Seiji made two quick swipes with his sword, one in front and behind him, before returning it to its scabbard once again. Within seconds all of the swords around him shattered instantly, and all of the soldiers fell to the ground. All except one who slowly stepped back as his armor slid off of his body before falling to the ground shaking with fear. One of the soldier's swords, which had flown up into the air, finally came to rest upward in the ground in front of Seiji before shattering like the rest. The Captain finally stopped laughing and stared at Seiji blankly.

"Not a single one of your men are dead Captain. By killing them it would only prove me no better than yourself, and to consider me anything like you would be ridiculous." Seiji spoke.

"Humph!" Despote said ripping his sword from his side, "Perhaps you're better than I thought. I'm still not going to let some Zebulan rodent tarnish the reputation of my Gray Banner Knights!"

Despote charged bitterly at Seiji who dashed around Despote evading his sword swipes. Preparing to make a clean swipe of his own down the Captain's back Seiji raised his sword above him. Quickly thinking Despote spun around and blocked the powerful hit, sending him flying backwards and into the mud. Seiji stood his ground with one hand on his scabbard and the other holding his sword out in front of him with a slight grin of confidence on his face. The frightened townspeople now unguarded quickly ran to the town gate to watch the battle from a safe distance. All accept Blaze who remained at his father's side. Despote quickly found he was outmatched as the blows came crashing down upon his sword one after another. Every hit guarded only brought a punishing blow from Seiji's fists as he continued to back away with every strike. Pulling a hidden short sword from behind him he quickly blocked another of Seiji's fierce strikes and brought the dagger above his head. As if completely predicted, Seiji countered with a slash across Despote's arm, forcing him to drop the dagger as he retreated a few steps tightly gripping his wounded arm.

"Damn you Rocket Knight! How dare you disgrace me during such a victory!"

Seiji huffed and looked to him with an angered look.

"To call the death and destruction of the innocent a victory is simply something I cannot let go unpunished! Be gone from this place, and never return to it!"

Despote made one last desperate act to claim victory charging forward in a jab position. Seiji was quick to swat it away only to have Despote bring down another strike. After a series of well guarded hits Despote was still following through on a slash across as Seiji pressed his boot into the ground to stabilize himself and unleashed a powerful strike upward towards the Captain. The blow knocked his sword from his hands sending it flying through the air and onto the ground next to Blaze along with a piece of the Captain's upper snout. With their commander defeated the two surviving Devotindos soldiers carried Despote off towards the mountains.

"I'll have my revenge on you Rocket Knights someday! You haven't seen the last of the Gray Banner Knights!" Despote shouted back to Seiji as blood continued to gush from his nose.

Seiji quickly retracted his shining white sword to its scabbard. Blaze watched still in shock as the angelic figure of a Rocket Knight walked towards him with his tool of the heavens resting at his side. Seiji kneeled down next to him and checked for a pulse on his father. He then looked down with a sorrowful look on his face with his eyes closed. Then he looked back to Blaze.

"Are you all right?" He asked calmly.

Blaze did not answer as he could not find a way to communicate with him in his state. Instead he remained staring back at him with his mouth hung open as he salivated on the ground below him. Seiji realized he was in a state of shock and sighed quietly to himself.

"…What that person did to you and your family was terribly wrong and I'm very sorry about your parents and your home. You are safe now…what is your name?" He asked, hoping for a response.

"…Blaze…." Blaze spoke as the word came out without any feeling behind it.

Seiji crouched down to the ground and met Blaze eye to eye. He could see he was terrified, but saw something he would never have expected. There was fierceness in Blaze's eyes as though he were looking for something to blame for what happened to him. It was an eerie look that caused Seiji to stare back with slight confusion. Breaking the moment, two knights rode through the gate and came into town, halting next to Seiji who quickly got up to greet them. Blaze's vision began to become hazy before he suddenly collapsed in front of them as though he were in a trance. The two knights dismounted as Seiji crouched back down to check on him.

"…He's passed out from mental exhaustion. This child was quite brave to have the strength to fight the commander after taking place in such a tragedy."

One of the knights walked up next to Seiji, and was much younger than the other knight that remained watching behind the two.

"My Lord, I've spoken with the other townspeople about this boy. They inform me that he is the son of a local farming family, and that both of his parents are casualties of this raid. When I inquired about any other family or friends of this child none were for account amongst the townspeople. It is a possibility that no one in relation to him has survived. I will continue to investigate." He said saluting before leading a troop of soldiers into the town to help put out the flames.

The older knight now walked next to Seiji who picked up the sword abandoned by the wounded Captain Despote and began looking it over. The sword shimmered with a dark brass color amidst the flames as he turned it slightly. The hilt was finely polished silver with a Devotindos skull engraved into the center. The base of the blade expanded into a diamond shape with sharp razor edges extending upwards from the hilt. These jagged edges then disappeared into finely polished steel to the very end. It was a masterful weapon with grim markings that even Seiji admired.

"…I feared the Devotindos may try something as drastic as what has just happened here to make their point. It was only a matter of time I suppose." Seiji said to the knight gazing at the evil blade.

"Indeed…I must congratulate you my Lord for predicting this foul plot. They clearly have no intention of allowing us to ignore their threats." The knight replied.

"If only I had arrived sooner…we could have prevented what happened to this child. I refuse to report this to the capitol as a victory by any means. I'd like you to do something for me. If a search party cannot find anyone related to this young man, place him in our convoy and set my rations for tonight next to him. Then take this weapon and store it somewhere for its journey back to the capitol." Seiji said holding up the Captain's sword, "I'd rather starve myself and see to it that this child is taken care of than know that he continues to suffer."

"…As you wish my Lord, but why should we burden ourselves with this sword? Surely you know that this odd coloration of the blade and its forging in Devotindos are signs of it being cursed?"

"Perhaps...but better it be destroyed than wielded in the hands of a warrior where it could only cause more harm."

"Forgive me milord, but I still do not understand. Will you remove this child from his home as well?" The knight asked.

"If he truly has no one left here then I think it would be in his best interest. Once he awakens I will allow him to decide for himself of course. Or perhaps it is my own feelings. This boy reminds me of my son when he was about his age. I suppose I'm feeling a need to help this child based on where I had failed with my own son…? No, I'm simply doing it because it is the right thing to do as a knight of Zebulos, and as myself." Seiji said walking away.

Hours had passed and Blaze began to have nightmares of Despote, the burning town, his friends dead in the streets, and his father's demise. Suddenly he awoke to find himself in a small bed in dark cramped space surrounded by wooden walls on all sides. Next to him were a small plate of food, and a tin mug of water. He pushed the covers aside to get out of the unfamiliar bed and sat up straight wondering where he was. Suddenly a loud voice echoed from around him which instantly startled him as he threw the blankets over his head. When the voice subsided he slowly removed the covers and peered out into the darkness of the room trying to identify its source. Then again the voice came and echoed around in his mind. He immediately jumped from the bed and fell to the floor completely unable to make sense of the strange words. Immediately his thoughts turned to a chest in the corner of the room. The voice startled him again, and he again was unable to make much sense of the garbled voice, but he knew it was instructing him to look to his left. He turned his head to see a shelf stacked with books from each end. He quickly searched one of them and opened it to the back cover to reveal an iron key. Taking the key he then crawled over to the chest and carefully unlocked it. Inside he found the Devotindos Captain's sword. He was startled by this, but found a strange attraction to it and carefully reached into the chest. Blaze carefully picked it up and grasped the hilt firmly finding it somewhat heavy. As he gazed at the skull engraving in the hilt the same terrible imagine filled his mind once again. This time realizing it wasn't a dream he began to weep. He then walked back and sat at his bedside realizing he was all alone and had nowhere to go back to as the tears fell from his eyes and down the groove in the center of the blade. Then he remembered how he survived, and the knight that came to his rescue.

"…That Rocket Knight saved me? But where is this…?" Blaze wondered getting out of bed with the sword in hand.

He looked around and noticed a small door with moonlight shining through a tiny window. Laying the sword on the bed and crept over to the door. Peering outside he could see the stars moving with him, and suddenly realized he was in motion. Finally he began to collect his thoughts about his home and his parents, and he desperately wanted to go back. His heart sank as he turned the doorknob only to find it locked. He began to look around for an alternative way out but could find none. Returning to his bedside Blaze sat down and stared across the room at the locked door in front of him. Suddenly he heard a faint noise. It was the same strange voice and before, but this very quiet and yet very clear, and he again had trouble making out the words. He looked around to see if someone had been in the room with him again, and after a few minutes he brushed it off as his mind playing tricks on him and continued to try and think of a way out. Then the noise came again, much louder and clearer than before, as though it was coming from something directly next to him. He jumped up frightened and slowly turned his head over to where he heard the noise and started shaking. It seemed as though the noise was coming from his sword. He shook his head from side to side and tried to focus on other things in the room continuing to think it was his imagination. But then he suddenly realized his answer was at his bedside all along. He quickly snatched the sword from the bed and dragged the heavy blade across the room. Lifting the sword up and over his head with all of the strength he could summon from his two frail arms he swung downward. The blade clanked up against the door making a slight knick, but with hardly enough force behind it to pierce its thick wooden structure. He fell to the floor dropping the blade at his side as he grasped his throbbing wrist with his other hand. Sitting there defeated he then reminded himself of the village. Blaze shot straight up and grit his teeth feeling anger towards the door itself as he grabbed the hilt and fiercely swung at the door. As the sword came down over his head he again heard the strange voice and his arms began to feel warm and lighter. The sword struck a mighty blow to the door in front of him as it caved in upon itself. He backed away slightly shaken by the collapsed door before realizing he had succeeded. Still confused by what had happened he looked down at the sword in his right hand only for a moment before peering out the rear that was once guarded by the door. He gazed out at the open plains completely barren of all life and watched as the mountains became farther and farther away. Confirming that he was moving he held his breath and grasped the sword tightly as he leaped from the moving convoy. He landed feet first before tumbling backwards a few times and finally coming to a total halt on the dry mud below him. Blaze glanced back at the moving transport he left as it continued down the trail fearing they may have spotted him. He breathed a short sigh as it continued down the road and quickly picked himself up before running in the opposite direction dragging the sword behind him.

It was the first time he had ever traveled the plains without his parents, but he pressed on hoping that they would be there waiting for him when he returned. He continued to run aimlessly into the horizon-less night as the moon seemed to follow him in the sky. The footsteps he left in his path became closer and closer in together and his pace slowed to a sluggish march. His throat began to burn with thirst as reality began to sink back in. He was now alone on the plains after fleeing the safety of the Zebulan convoy, lost, and weakened from the attack on his village. He fell to his knees before falling chin first onto the dry ground as he tried to weep but could not from exhaustion and dehydration. He continued to lye on the ground, and began to listen to the light breeze passing him by both frightened and tired with only the sword of his parent's murderer at his side. Closing himself off to the world he suddenly heard a very faint trickle in his right ear. He turned his head on the ground towards it and looked to the sound to find a narrow canyon. Realizing what it could be he used every remaining ounce of strength he had to push himself up and slowly walked over towards it while dragging the tip of the sword through the dirt behind him. As he walked towards it the sound began to fade slightly, and he began to fear it was all in his imagination. Blaze crept through the narrow path in the rock walls and suddenly the sound of flowing water began to ring through his years. A slight smile appeared on the right side of his face as he continued through the path in the mountainside. As the walls began to narrow the moonlight began to fade with it, and he soon found himself in almost total darkness as he continued to follow the sound. He began to take little steps unaware of where he was and fearing he may become victim to an unseen pitfall. After a short while the flowing sound became very loud, and he knew he was close by. He moved his leg out in front of him and placed it down only to feel it land on some wet rocks. He kneeled down slowly on the damp rocks and reached forward as his hands sunk into what appeared to be a running stream at the center of the canyon. He cupped his hands together in the stream and quickly raised them to his lips as the chilled water began to revive him gulp after gulp. Stopping only for a moment to take a breath he continued to drink from the stream until he could drink no more. Taking a long sigh of relief he moved his hand behind him preparing to push himself back up when it came into contact with something odd on the ground. He moved his fingers over it realizing it wasn't a stone and carefully lifted it up. Placing it above his head into the small amount of moonlit sky the object took the shape of an arm bone. He gasped and quickly threw it across from him frightened by what he saw. He reached down to where he found it and ran his fingers over the ground feeling more of the same before being pricked by the end of what seemed to be a rib bone. Now afraid of his discovery he quickly crawled away on his back up against the canyon wall shaking. He jumped as he heard a growl to his left and looked in the direction. The growl continued in the darkness as Blaze was unable to see anything in front of him. Rising to his feet as slowly as possible he moved back a few steps with his back pressed against the rocky wall when he was suddenly knocked back to his feet by two paws pressing into his chest with a great force behind them. Blaze stumbled back and tripped over some loose rocks where he banged his head on a crumbled boulder and remained lying on his back. He looked up as the stars began to become blurry and was unable to move frozen with fear as the growl became louder. Startled by this he gazed to his left as he felt the breath of the mysterious beast down his neck. Preparing for the terrible sting of death he was surprised to hear a loud yelp as the breath of his predator was taken by a great gust that came past his head. He was relieved to hear the sounds of the beast's retreat, still unable to see anything, but was now aware he was still not alone as the sound of footsteps came closer. Curious as to who it was he looked overhead to see a large figure standing upright over him as he began to black out from the fall. Unable to stay conscious any longer he gave in as everything turned to blackness around him.

The figure watched the unconscious boy and noticed the sword he was still grasping firmly in his right hand. He took it from Blaze and held it up into the moonlight. As he turned it the skull engraved into the hilt became visible, and several runic symbols carved into the blade. Within seconds of seeing them the figure gasped.

"…Chindi A-Wo…!" He oddly spoke gazing at the blade and then back at Blaze.

Grunting unpleasantly he took one last look at the weapon before tossing it into the stream behind him allowing it to sink to the bottom. He looked down again at Blaze, unconscious with a terrified look across his face, before reaching under him carefully and carrying him out of the canyon.

The sun had set well into day as Blaze tossed and turned violently in his sleep, gripping the sheets on the bed he was placed in. Reliving the terrors of the night before once again, he suddenly opened his eyes and immediately positioned himself upright in the bed. In front of him was a wooden wall with a small desk and chair across the room. He looked to his left to find a single window almost completely covered by tall trees just outside. Suddenly he felt a throbbing soreness across the back of his head as he reached behind him to find it wrapped in bandages. Bending his head down slightly he noticed a small wooden bucket at the foot of his bed filled with water and a bloody rag draped over the side.

"Where am I?" Blaze thought as he glanced around the room, "This doesn't look like the village at all…"

He noticed the sun glaring in through the doorway to the left of him and began to hear the crackling sounds of a nearby fire outside. Carefully he pulled the sheets back and stepped quietly towards the doorway before turning his head around the corner of the door. Directly outside he caught glimpse a small bonfire and a young man of seemingly Wolfen decent placing his small game over the fire. Leaning further out of the doorway to get a better look Blaze accidentally missed the step in front of him and came crashing down at the doorstep. The dark gray haired boy jumped and quickly dropped his meal over the fire leaping to his feet while quickly dashing towards Blaze's position. Reaching behind his back he revealed a sharpened hatchet as he grabbed Blaze by the shirt and lifted him to his face up against the outer wall of the cabin. He stood there with his axe to Blaze's throat as his long nose pressed into his snarling at the frightened boy with the cold steel pressed to his neck. Suddenly Blaze was relieved to feel the chilling metal back away as he was instantly dropped to the floor by the young man. Blaze lifted his head to find him grunting in pain as he was being dragged away by the black hair on his head by a young light brown haired Wolfen woman in a violet robe.

"Stupid!" She scolded as she threw him next to the fire, "What were you thinking, Hakan? Do you know what both the Master and I would have done if you killed the boy? Think before you use force!"

The boy Hakan quickly yanked his head away from her in shame as he placed his hatchet in his belt behind his back.

"This boy has no business being here in the first place…" Hakan replied bitterly, "Why did Qale bring him here?"

"He had his reasons Hakan, and you are not to question them!" The woman replied before turning around.

She looked to Blaze, and the bitter look across her face disappeared into a smile as she walked towards him. Blaze returned the look a bit frightened.

"Don't be scared child. I'm sorry for what Hakan did to you…" She said looking back to Hakan with the same bitter look as before to which he replied back with a sour look before shifting his head away from her again, "My name is Doli, and my Master, Qale, brought you here when he found you wounded on the plains. What is your name?"

"Blaze…" He muttered finding it hard to speak.

"It is nice to meet you Blaze." She said smiling back as he noticed two blue stripes across her right cheek and a bird tattoo above that, "Let me help you up. You've been asleep for hours."

She extended her hand out as Blaze grasped it firmly while pulling himself up. He looked back at Hakan for a moment to find him crouched over the fire again, but this time with a flustered appearance, and then looked back up to Doli still smiling as she led him back inside the cabin.

"I know you must be confused right now, but please try to get some more rest. You suffered a terrible concussion when my Master tried to save you from the wild animal in the canyon last night. I'm sure there is much you want to tell us but right now try to relax until my Master returns." She said tucking him back into the bed, "Try not to worry about what just happened. There are certain reasons for Hakan to be so nervous right now, but he didn't mean any harm. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

After Doli placed him back under the sheets she gently placed her hand on his forehead before returning outside. Still shaken and disturbed by the incident, Blaze slowly crept out of the bed and back over towards the doorway. He carefully peered outside where he found Hakan and Doli sitting on opposite ends of the campfire. Beyond the fire was a broad view of the mountains surrounding the small cabin on the hill. As he gazed up he noticed that the trees surrounded the entire cabin on all sides, almost as if naturally cradling the area around them. Just as he was about to peer out further, he was startled as Hakan began to speak and jumped back inside while hugging the wall.

"…Why did he have to bring that kid all the way up here? Even if the boy was injured he didn't have to bring him to this place. He probably has parents that will come looking for him. Then we'll be in a lot of trouble…" Hakan said with angry grin. Doli looked at him then closed her eyes with her head looking towards the ground smiling.

"Amazing how sympathetic you are for that child. Imagine if Master Qale had decided to abandon you when you were left bleeding on a rock."

"Don't speak against me like that enchantress! My tribe is respected among the entire council!"

"Your tribe is gone, Hakan. You are the last of them, and after you left Haruk behind you your tribe vanished completely. There is no need for tribes in this land. I've never seen you show the Master any appreciation for helping you escape. If you had stayed, the Raging Star would have killed you as well."

Hakan furiously smashed his fist into the ground and grit his teeth at Doli who looked back to him surprised by his action.

"How dare you make it sound like I am disrespectful to Qale! I will always be in his debt for what he has done for me! How much longer must I sit here and listen to you?"

"Humph…if you're upset about me tagging along you can always go back to Haruk. Master Qale promised he would shelter me as well."

"Bah…the only reason he wanted you to come along was so you would not be forced to marry A-" Hakan replied before being interrupted as Doli quickly shot up from where she was sitting aggravated.

"That's enough!" She bitterly replied, "None of that matters anymore here in Zebulos! I'm not tied to anything I was before! Qale said so himself! Now be quiet boy!"

The angry look on Hakan's face disappeared as he sat watching her with his mouth open. Afraid to say anymore Hakan continued to watch over the fire and neither of them exchanged a word.

All the while Blaze could hear what was happening. As the conversation stopped he turned his head around the corner once again. He saw Hakan leaning over the fire calmer than he was before. This time he noticed a tattoo on the side of his face in the shape of a lightning branch and one large yellow line painted below that. He then looked over at the tattoo on Doli's face, and gazed at the strange shape of an oddly drawn bird and noticed the left wing on the bird-like figure was not finished around the edges almost as though it was left incomplete.

"Who are these people…?" Blaze pondered.

Suddenly his concentration was broken by the sound of footsteps in the distance. Doli and Hakan immediately rose to their feet and turned towards the sounds. The sound of the footsteps became louder and closer and they began to hear the sounds of hollowed animal bones clanging together as the figure of a broad-built Wolfen man emerged over the hill. Blaze peered at the shadowed figure as he stepped into the sunlight leaking through the tree canopy overhead. Before them stood an older man with a cold appearance that seemed to envelop everyone around him. He was dressed in old, worn out leather garments with a dull brown cape around his shoulders to which the clanging animal teeth had been strung. As he turned to his left toward the boy, Hakan immediately fell to his knees and bowed. While he turned his head toward Doli, Blaze caught a glimpse of a large scar across his cheek where his facial hair was misplaced. His rough appearance sent a shiver down Blaze's back as he slowly backed away from the door hoping he was not noticed by the figure.

"Welcome back, Master Qale; everything is just as you left it." Doli said.

As Doli and Hakan returned to their feet he shook his head as if displeased by their actions.

"I asked both of you not to call me that anymore. This is not Haruk, and we are no longer bound by their laws." Qale spoke in a deep voice.

"I'm sorry, Master…" Doli replied finding it hard to simply part with her old formalities.

Qale sighed and continued to walk toward the cabin. Blaze saw him walking towards the doorway and quickly leaped onto the bed frightened by the warrior. Qale stopped short of the doorway and turned around to look back at Doli.

"How is the boy?" He asked calmly.

"He's fine. He awoke just a few moments ago and was startled by us. Hakan may have frightened him, but I believe he is all right now. I sent him back to bed to await your arrival."

Qale gazed into the trees across from him as if thinking while rubbing the hair under his chin.

"I suppose we may seem frightening to the boy. Our native Wolfen cousins are an enemy to these people so it is quite understandable. We at least owe him an explanation of why we brought him here, don't you agree Doli?"

"Yes Master, most certainly." Doli replied, "I tried to save most of the explaining for when you arrived."

Qale continued to rub his chin trying to think of a way to explain his situation to Blaze and why he rescued him.

"…I am not very good at this, but I suppose it is my obligation. How can I possibly explain our presence to this child?" He thought scratching the back of his neck.

"Would you like me to talk to the child, Master?" Doli asked.

"…No, that won't be necessary." Qale replied, "It is my responsibility to explain everything to the boy. I'd like you two to wait outside while I do."

"Of course Master. Take your time." Doli said as she and Hakan bowed to him before returning to the campfire.

Qale slowly walked in and Blaze cringed gripping the blankets on the bed tightly. When he saw this Qale grinned slightly in a friendly manner trying to get Blaze to calm down. This had an opposite effect as Blaze saw his sharp teeth and became frightened.

"It's all right. I only wish to speak to you. Do not be afraid." Qale said moving slowly into the room.

Blaze kept his eyes glued to the bold swordsman as he slowly removed the strapping from the broadsword on his back and placed it up against the wall next to the door. As he crept towards the bed, Blaze froze up and slowly tried to crawl to the other end of the bed quietly whimpering. Qale sighed and tried to think of a way to break the tension.

"…Are you feeling any better?" He asked, "You are very lucky that I was able to find you when that beast attacked you at the stream last night."

Blaze suddenly gasped and recalled the night before.

"Wh…who are you? Why am I here?" Blaze asked cautiously still keeping his distance.

"My name is Qale. I am…just a hunter here on the Zebulan/Devotindos border. I was the one that found you by that stream. You were in terrible shape and unconscious and I had no choice but to bring you here to my cabin. I am sorry if I've taken you from your family. What is your name young man?"

"My name's Blaze…but I don't have any family. Not any more…" Blaze said quietly recalling the events of the previous night as his eyes became moist again, "They were killed yesterday when the Devotindos attacked my village. My friends…my family…all killed by him…"

Qale looked down at the boy shocked as Blaze started sobbing.

"So…that is where the ember in the sky originated from last night…" Qale thought, "I was afraid that may be the case…this poor child…"

Qale could do nothing as he watched Blaze agonize over the previous night, but instead tried to think of some way to calm him while explaining his own situation at the same time. Suddenly blaze grasped his bandaged head and started moaning. Qale rushed to his side and noticed it begin to bleed.

"You are still weak from the previous night and need more time to heal those wounds. I am very sorry about what happened to your village, but right now it seems best that you get some more rest." Qale advised covering him with the blankets, "I will send Doli in to check on you if you need anything. Please try to rest young one."

He backed away as he watched Blaze slowly turn over in physical and mental agony and quietly walked out of the cabin. Walking back outside he found Hakan and Doli patiently sitting by the fire awaiting his return. They immediately leaped up at the sight of him.

"Master, how did your talk with the boy go?" Doli asked with a concerned look.

"…He is still too weak from his injuries for me to have a conversation with him. The boy's situation is worse than I thought…" Qale replied uneasily.

"What do you mean?" Hakan asked.

"Last night a Zebulan village was attacked farther inland where I was hunting. Through some terrible event this boy is a lone survivor of his village it seems. Perhaps I was right to bring him here."

"But what if he does have relatives that will come looking for him?" Hakan asked concerned, "They could trace after the boy and end up here! What will we do then?"

"Calm down Hakan…" Qale replied with an assuring tone, "Sadly, I am confident the boy is telling the truth. On my journey back here I visited the village that was attacked after the soldiers had left. The village was completely deserted and most of the buildings were left damaged beyond repair. I can understand why you are worried, but at the same time I cannot allow this child to leave in his condition. When he recovers I will leave that decision up to him."

"So you'll let that boy stay with us?" Hakan asked upset by this, "The longer we allow him to stay with us the more we put ourselves in danger! I'm sure someone will come looking for him…and then all of our troubles will be for nothing!"

Qale looked upon the angered Hakan with a disappointed look.

"…This boy is from a village very much like the tribes we are familiar with. I think you most of all would understand what it is like to be the lone survivor of your tribe. I will not abandon this child just as I had decided not to abandon you."

"Hakan does prove a point Master. What if the boy does attract the attention of the hunters? I refuse to be sent back to Haruk…I don't want to be used by them again…"

"Nonsense!" Qale exclaimed, "I will not allow either of you to return to Haruk against your wishes! At the same time I will not turn my back on the child. It is not a crime in this land to defend yourself against invaders, and I will do so if necessary."

There was a short pause as they considered their own danger.

"...We've been forced to stay hidden up here for two months now. How much longer must we stay?" Hakan asked breaking the silence.

"I just spoke with Kajika in town. He said there are a number of hunters still looking for us. It may be another three months…"

Doli and Hakan were startled after hearing this.

"But Master, how can we remain here for three more months without being noticed? Someone will find us eventually if we stay any longer than a month!"

"I understand your concern, but it cannot be helped. If it were only Hakan and I perhaps the situation would be different. We have reason to believe it is you, Doli, that have attracted the hunter's attention…I am very sorry."

Doli placed her hand over the other and gripped it tightly.

"I thought I might be a burden to you Master…that is why I almost considered refusing your offer to escape. It's because I'm an enchantress that they're so persistent in having me returned to the capitol. Maybe it's best if I return…" Doli replied with a worried look.

Qale grasped her hands with a reassuring smile, and the feeling of regret quickly turned back into comfort.

"As long as I am here they cannot touch you. I told you so the day you agreed to travel with me. I'm not going to leave anyone behind."

"…We probably would be better off if it was just the two of us. Begging your pardon Master, but can't she split up from us now? It's been two months…" Hakan asked.

Qale sighed with a calm appearance, and then grabbed the boy by the back of his shirt and lifted him to his face.

"While you may be the son of my late sister, you have a certain responsibility as a member of this group. You too, Hakan, are to protect Doli until we can be assured that we will no longer be hunted. Do you understand boy?" He said dropping Hakan to the ground.

Hakan picked himself off the ground and brushed himself off then sulked behind his back before replying.

"Yes Master…" He quietly said looking down at ground.

After the conversation they all returned by the campfire where they remained until nightfall while trying not to disturb Blaze who was quietly resting. Qale's thoughts suddenly turned to the previous night when he found the mysterious sword at Blaze's side.

"There was something strange regarding the child last night..." Qale finally said breaking the silence around the campfire.

"Strange? What do you mean Master?" Doli asked.

"I was not certain, but I believe the child was carrying one of the sacred blades with him…" Qale replied as if thinking.

Doli gasped, and even Hakan looked up to him wide-eyed.

"The sacred blades of Haruk? Forgive me Master, but I was always told they were only legends. Even as an enchantress I was always told such powerful weapons could not be forged." Doli said startled by what she heard.

"I had only seen three of them myself…and thought of them only as weapons with nothing more than fables behind them. Then I saw it at the boy's side. There was no mistake. It was Chindi A-Wo…" Qale replied.

Doli held her breath after hearing the native word. Hakan too was startled by what he was hearing.

"Devil's tooth…" Hakan spoke quietly, "The most evil of the five sacred blades. If anyone else said they saw it I would have called them a liar, but if you say that you've seen it Master…"

"There's no mistake now that I think back to it. It was indeed the Gravemaker. Kajika informed me that foreigners had broken into the royal vaults in the capitol a few nights ago. It is possible that the Gravemaker could have been one of those items stolen. Even so…how did this boy manage to obtain it?" Qale said as they quietly thought.

"Master…what did you do with the sword?" Doli asked curiously.

"While I never truly believed the legends I had little choice but to dispose of it as quickly as possible. The story says that the bearer may become possessed by it in time, and only misfortune can be gained by being controlled by it. I threw it in the deepest part of the river where I found the boy and was sure to cover my tracks afterwards. If we cannot return it to Haruk, then I thought it best to hide the weapon until I can permanently dispose of it." Qale answered.

"Who would have thought after leaving Haruk we would come into contact with such a weapon…I hoped to never see another weapon again. During my training I forged so many destructive instruments that caused so many to die…but now I am glad. My learned skills will die with me as they should." Doli replied thinking of her past.

Qale thought back to the days when he had left Doli in the care of the elder sorcerer tribes. She was to become an enchantress, one of the most respected and powerful types of mages in Haruk. Children would be raised their whole lives to master the skills of enchanting weapons with magical properties for combat. It was a gift only unique to certain members of the mage tribes, and their abilities were closely guarded secrets kept between the enchantresses and no one else to ensure their abilities never left Haruk. Doli breathed a short sigh of relief that she was able to escape while at the same time felt a cold chill run through her thinking of how frantic Haruk's High Council of Mages must have been looking for her at the moment. She felt she was a burden, but was still assured by the comfort Qale offered her under his protection.

"It seems we won't be held here much longer Hakan…" Qale said looking to him as he sat quietly by the fire, "What do you plan on doing once we leave here?"

Hakan sat and thought for a moment resting his chin on his fist as he looked into the fire with a mellow appearance. Then he looked up to Qale with a satisfied grin.

"Well Master, since I was destined to be a low-level warrior in Haruk, I thought I'd join with one of the foreign armies and become a high ranked officer someday…"

Qale looked to him uncomfortably as Doli listened to the conversation silently.

"Why would you risk your life for one of the foreign armies so soon after being offered a second chance at a life of your own choosing Hakan? You no longer have to be a soldier if you choose not to. You're still young, and there are a vast number of things you can become now." Qale replied trying to shake Hakan from his Haruk-influenced mentality.

Hakan suddenly realized Qale was right. All his life he was told that the only thing he was destined to become was that which was inscribed on his tattoo. Now freed from Haruk he was again reminded he no longer had to settle for being a soldier and laughed to himself.

"What does it matter anyway Master? I know you won't allow me too enlist right now anyway. I'll just accompany you until I know for sure what I want to become." Hakan replied happily.

Doli started giggling quietly which Hakan raised an ear to and looked to her confused.

"He begins to speak like a man and then retreats to his Master like a child. How precious…" She mocked while laughing.

"I may not be as OLD as you enchantress, but I was also a soldier once in the army!" Hakan replied angered.

"OLD? Just what did you mean by that, boy?" Doli said getting up as a tension began to build between them. Qale pulled them back down.

"After two months the two of you refuse to improve your relations…" He sighed.

There was a short moment of silence before Doli looked to Qale.

"Master…forgive me for asking, but I'm curious. You've asked us both what we plan on doing now that we are free from Haruk, but what do you plan on doing?"

Qale's appearance suddenly became very serious as he stared into the open flame before him. Hakan and Doli leaned in closer expecting to hear the answer to a question that had been on both of their minds for months previous. To their surprise Qale started chuckling quietly to himself.

"I'm actually surprised you've waited this long to ask me." Qale chuckled, "...I haven't really decided myself..."

Hakan and Doli look at each other shocked.

"There's not much left in the world for an old fool like me to be of any use. I spent my entire life under the armies of Haruk going from day to day led by the code of the sword. Sometimes to uphold this I also had to kill, and sometimes that meant to kill many." Qale said getting up and admiring the clear sky as he gently placed his hand out in front of him as a leaf fell into it from the tree above, "I believe I am going to enjoy this serenity...free from any duties as a warrior of Haruk...yes...there is no need for my abilities here, and I am perfectly satisfied with that..."

Suddenly Doli realized that in all the time she had known him Qale was constantly bound to duty up until the time they escaped. She felt ashamed for not noticing this sooner, and watched him as he gently allowed the leaf in his palm to be carried away by the calm nighttime breeze.

"What?" Hakan replied almost as if in shock, "You're not going to fight in an army?"

Qale set his arm down again to his side and turned his head behind him to glance at Hakan out of the corner of his eye.

"For what purpose would I have, Hakan?" He asked, "I engaged in battle for all these years because I loved Haruk, but now that's all behind me…it is behind us. Zebulos or any other nation for that matter has no need for someone like me."

Doli and Hakan stared at each other silently before Qale took notice. Both of them had a hard time imagining Qale taking on such a peaceful life for the first time. He then cleared his throat to break the moment.

"I suppose I've said something to upset the two of you. Let's retire for the night then." He said walking back into the cabin.

The evening remained peaceful as Blaze and the others slept on into the night. Then suddenly Blaze awoke and stood straight up in bed before a sharp pain ran across the top of his head. He grabbed his throbbing scalp, trying to ease the pain away, when he suddenly heard a faint snapping noise outside the window next to his bed. He slowly pulled the sheets away and moved towards the window. Peering outside he could see nothing until he suddenly caught a glimpse of something shimmering in the moonlight behind a nearby tree trunk. He looked closer and the shimmering object began to take the shape of a figure. He then realized it was a soldier's armor and gasped with a short breath before looking away from the window. Again he was surprised when his ear picked up a crackling noise behind him. He quickly turned to find a small ember in the darkness growing in intensity as it came nearer to the window across from him. Suddenly the torch emanating the ember was in full view of the window, being held by a mysterious hand. Frightened, Blaze quickly ducked behind the bed and tried not to make a sound. Just as he was about to take a small glance he was startled as a hand covered his mouth preventing him from letting out a yell.

"Don't be afraid…" Doli's voice whispered quietly into his right ear, "There are strangers here so we must escape through the back, all right? Come with me and try not to make a sound."

Blaze nodded in compliance as Doli took him by the arm. They crawled near the doorway which led to the back of the cabin. Just as Doli was about to turn the doorknob she caught a glimpse of the torch wieldier through near the front door. It was a Devotindos soldier in standard attire following two others to the front door.

"Devotindos…?" Doli whispered to herself quietly before quietly turning the doorknob and sneaking into the back room. Suddenly she heard a scream from outside and became startled. She grasped Blaze's shoulder who let out a short yelp in pain. Doli quickly let go and apologized before pressing her fist to her breast and breathing a sigh of relief that it was not something worse. She then looked around in the dark room.

"Hakan…!" She whispered as quietly as possible, "Hakan, where are you?"

Suddenly Hakan appeared in the dark clutching his sharpened hatchet firmly in one hand.

"What's going on? Who are these people?" He asked nervously.

"I'm not sure, but they're from Devotindos. Where is Master Qale?"

"He went out to fight them so I'm guessing that's where the scream came from."

"Hakan, listen, there are two of them at the front door. We'll have to go out the back." Doli replied before they heard the sound of the door being kicked in.

Doli and Hakan scrambled to opposite sides of the doorway while Hakan held his hatchet close to him as he heard the two soldiers move about the main room.

"I know he was in here!" The deep voice of a pig man grumbled, "Search the entire place until you find that kid and that sword, or the Commander will have our heads!"

"Not if that Wolfen swordsman doesn't first! Did you see the size of that guy? We don't have much time; I'll look through the back!" The other replied.

Both Doli and Hakan gasped when they heard this and braced themselves for the worst. As they heard the door slowly creep open, Hakan signaled Doli and Blaze to move towards the corner as he positioned his axe to strike. The pig man slowly leaned his head into the doorway looking straight ahead as Doli held Blaze firmly in her arms in the corner of the room trying her best to stay silent. Hakan gripped his hands around the hatchet as tightly as he could as he waited for the pig man to enter while the sweat ran down his nose. Just as the pig man's face became visible through the doorway, Hakan was beginning to have doubts that he could actually swing. His thought process was quickly broken as Doli accidentally stepped back on a noisy floor board and gasped which immediately caught the pig man's attention. Without further hesitation Hakan swung and buried his axe into the soldier's lightly protected abdomen. He immediately grunted and sunk to the floor pulling Hakan down with him as he was still clutching onto the handle. The other soldier in the first room immediately saw this and panicked before running out through the front door. Doli immediately took Blaze by the arm and dashed towards the door in the rear of the cabin. She looked behind her to notice Hakan still kneeling over the slumped-over soldier with axe in hand. Walking over to him she shook the still Hakan violently.

"Hakan, get up we must leave here!" She said continuing to shake him as he refused to respond, "Hakan…?"

Hakan quickly yanked the axe from his victim and slowly turned his head up towards Doli with a confused and frightened look on his face.

"This is the first time…I actually did something like this before. I had no idea what it was going to be like." He said in shock.

Doli quickly picked him up from off the floor and hurried to the back door. The sounds of reinforcements could be heard coming from the front of the cabin as she quickly shut the back door behind her. Both Hakan and Blaze remained pressed up against the back of the cabin wall as Doli listened for her Master.

"Hakan, where did you last see Master Qale?"

Doli looked behind her to find both Hakan and Blaze shook up by the previous encounter both breathing heavily. Hakan slowly raised his head up to answer her.

"…He went out through the side window in the back room when you went to bring the kid back with us. I don't know what happened to him after that." He spoke as another scream came from the front of the cabin.

"It sounds like he's fighting up in the front, but how do we reach him? We can't go back through the cabin…we may have to run through the woods and wait for Qale to return." She replied looking down at the shivering Blaze.

She noticed he was uncomfortable and crouched down next to him.

"Are you all right Blaze? I'm sorry you had to see what just happened." She apologized.

"…It's ok. It's…not the first time I've had to see something like that…" He replied quietly.

Doli looked down trying to imagine what he must have went through before she was interrupted by the sound of mild laughter behind them. They quickly looked to the trees to find a Devotindos soldier clad in shining white plate mail much sturdier than those worn by the previous soldiers they encountered. Blaze looked closer at the pig man's armor and found a familiar crest engraved on his chest plate. He gasped as the figure moved into the open.

"So this is where you've been hiding the boy all along." The soldier spoke with a grin, "I was about to search these woods thinking you had already made your escape. Lucky for me you decided to hang around."

Another scream came from the front of the cabin and Doli huffed.

"It seems more as though you were abandoning your troops…" She replied sarcastically.

"Silence Haruk dog! My name's Commander Gawki of the Devotindos Gray Banner Knights, and by the orders of my Captain I've been asked to return the boy and the sword he has stolen back to Devotindos!"

"A sword you say? I don't know what you're talking about. The boy does not have such a weapon with him." Doli said.

"Is that so?" Gawki replied bitterly, "Well then he must know where it is so I'll have to ask him to come with me. Being that you've also committed a crime by escaping to this land I'll also be taking you in as well. I'd advise you all not to try anything funny. The Gray Banner Knights are widely known for our swordsmanship in this land."

"You're not taking anybody!" Hakan growled standing his ground in front of Doli and Blaze.

"Hakan, don't!" Doli urged.

"I don't have time to mess around with you kid! I'm afraid I'm going to have to make this quick!" Gawki said dashing towards them trailing his sword behind.

Hakan began to freeze, and Doli quickly took notice pushing herself out in front of him just before the commander was about to swing. He was quickly halted by an invisible barrier surrounding them and fell to the ground a short distance away. Shaking his head he looked to them puzzled.

"We're going to have to wait for Master Qale to find us. I'm sorry to have to ask you to do this again Hakan, but we don't have a choice. Now show me your hatchet…" Doli asked.

Hakan quickly presented it as Doli grabbed him by the wrist and pressed two of her fingers to the blade. Blaze continued to sit against the cabin frightened and confused as he began to feel the ground feel warm beneath him. Suddenly small blue particles began to appear all around them, and the blade of Hakan's hatchet began to illuminate a dark blue. Doli closed her eyes and the ground began to glow in harmony with the axe. Before long the entire area beneath them became engulfed in a strange magical glyph. Gawki quickly shot up to his feet and looked around him where he stood in awe. After a few moments the glyph began to shrink and moved towards the blade of the axe as if it was being absorbed, and then the lights faded. Hakan felt a warmth course through his arm as he gripped the blade tightly.

"Now don't hold back Hakan. You must hold him off until Qale comes." Doli reminded him.

"I don't think that should be a problem…" Hakan surprisingly said, "I can't believe how much stronger this feels now. I don't know what you did but I think I can stop him now."

All the while Blaze stood watching the hatchet which now assumed a faint blue glow. It was a glow he had seen not too long ago but could not remember where.

"What kind of witchcraft is this?" Gawki exclaimed confused, "Never mind that. I'm not going to let some ancient sorcery tarnish the reputation of the Gray Banner!"

He ran towards Hakan again, and they met head on with a fierce clang that rang out loudly. As their blades pressed firmly into one another Hakan was beginning to realize that the commander may have not been bluffing as he continued to maintain him in check.

"Okay…so maybe he's tougher than I thought…" Hakan thought as he quickly backed away unable to keep the tension any longer.

They looked to find the commander loosening the fastens on his breastplate and breathing quickly.

"…You're a lot stronger than I thought you'd be boy. Must be that Haruk training and the spell. It's a great effort, but you still aren't good enough to stop me from taking you in!" Gawki yelled dashing back towards Hakan with a second wind.

Hakan swung towards the commander attempting to connect with his blade and nearly fell short of a miss as the tip of his axe sunk into the steel broadsword just above his shoulder.

"You're pretty tough old man, but you're still just a lowly Devotindos bastard! You and your king can go to hell for all I care after selling my people back to Haruk!"

Gawki pressed firmer into the glowing axe head as it began to give way and quickly swiped the edge of his sword over Hakan's right shoulder. He grunted shortly before backing away from the commander. Doli and Blaze watched frightened as Gawki attempted to follow through and finish Hakan off. Just barely able to block the attack in front of him, Hakan grounded himself firmly into the muddy ground beneath him as the commander chuckled sinisterly to his face.

"You're getting tired huh?" He laughed eyeing Hakan's tattoo, "Maybe if you showed more loyalty to your king you wouldn't be here right now. Obviously that mark on your face isn't one of a warrior. You're too weak to be a soldier from 'that' country."

Hakan became bitter at hearing these words and lunged forward forcing the commander back several steps as Hakan growled back at him with anger. He quickly leaped into the seemingly in-control Gawki as he continued to swing in his direction. All attempts to strike him were blocked easily by the commander.

"Yes, that's it. Lose your concentration and allow me an open chance to strike!" Gawki said noticing Hakan left his right arm defenseless after a swing. The commander took full advantage swinging downward over Hakan's arm as he passed by.

"Hakan!" Doli yelled terrified watching him stumble over on his knees. With his back turned to the calm commander.

"Damn you!" Hakan cursed before turning around and grabbing his bleeding arm.

"Does this mean you've given up already? And here I thought all of the Haruk were strong fighters. You're just a disgrace, boy." Gawki laughed walking towards him slowly.

Hakan remained still while peering down at the ground before looking straight up to the commander and quickly threw his axe towards his face. Gawki did not flinch as he swiftly knocked the axe away with his sword continuing to walk towards the defeated Hakan. Blaze watched as Hakan stood humiliated in front of him remembering the previous night before when he too was in a similar situation.

"Make him stop…!" Blaze said looking to Doli frightened, "Don't let him do it to him!"

The commander turned his head towards Blaze with a twisted smile.

"Don't worry kid." He spoke, "Since he was willing enough to fight for his life I'll make this quick for the both of us. Still, for a Haruk your performance was pretty sad boy. I don't think I'd be satisfied ending it like this if I was you, but such is life!"

The commander raised his sword above his shoulder gripping it with both hands preparing to strike the lethal blow to Hakan. Doli wrapped her arm around Blaze and covered his eyes with her hand before closing her eyes and looking to the ground as well.

"Yield your arm Devotindos…" A familiar deep voice spoke which caused Doli to immediately open her eyes and look to its direction. Gawki too looked as if frightened by the figure. Qale stood with his sword as his side eyeing what would have been Hakan's execution had he not arrived sooner.

"You...you're that beast that attacked my men?" Gawki asked with a trembling tone.

"My colleagues and home are attacked without warning and now I am the one considered the beast? Be reasonable commander, and leave the fighting to those that know how. Don't burden the boy any further and let him be." Qale replied.

"And why should I?" Gawki huffed.

"…You've come for something important, have you not? I just may know where it is."

"Last night a group of soldiers went into a village not too far away and were attacked by the local villagers while trying to rest. As a result we were forced to retaliate and something was stolen from us! Trackers have traced it to this boy. Now where is it? Where is the emperor's sword?"

"That's a lie!" Blaze shouted to which Qale looked to him, "They attacked my village for no reason! They killed everyone!"

Gawki said nothing, but instead slightly glanced off to the side at Blaze for a moment with a bitter look. Qale rubbed his chin, and took a few steps forward with a disgusted look on his face.

"…Your emperor's sword you say? Your emperor has no idea what that weapon is capable of doing once harnessed by its user. People should not play with things they don't understand, and your emperor is no exception. Yes, I know where the sword is, but I'll never tell you."

Gawki became irritated, and shoved Hakan to the ground before placing his sword in Qale's direction. Hakan slowly crawled over by Doli and Blaze as they quietly watched. Qale took a few steps forward, and moved his arm out from his waist exposing his broadsword previously concealed by his cloak.

"What is Master Qale doing? I've never seen anyone from Haruk fight with a style that requires the sword at their waist. The last time I saw him fight like this was against-" Doli said before pausing and then gasping shortly after.

She looked to them fixated on Qale as a slight horror filled her eyes.

"You're kidding. He's actually going to use 'that.' Is this Gawki guy really all that strong?" Hakan wondered.

"Well then warrior, maybe you'll feel like telling me by the time I get done with you. I'm Commander Gawki of the Gray Banner Knights under Captain Despote of the Devotindos Empire. Perhaps someone like you has heard of us even in a place as remote as your country." Gawki said smiling.

"Captain Despote…" Blaze thought remembering the name to be familiar. Then he remembered it was the murderer who led the raid on his town and grit his teeth in anger.

"I try not to burden myself with memorizing the titles of the weak. I'll put a stop to this right now." Qale replied.

A completely infuriated by this Gawki ran towards Qale who moved his left foot behind him while watching Gawki from the side, and yet continuing to keep his blade sheathed. Gawki raised his sword above his head to strike directly in front of him, but then moved off to the side in attempt for a back hit as he swung. With lighting accuracy Qale unsheathed his blade and perfectly guarded the hit causing a loud clang to echo through the trees behind them followed by a loud cracking noise. Gawki backed away stood up against a tree now breathing hard as he struggled to move his right arm. Qale walked towards him with his sword in front.

"One more strike and I'll shatter your forearm. Please cease your hostilities commander and I'll grant you a quick and painless death." Qale grimly spoke.

Gawki remained up against the tree for a moment as Blaze watched in amazement. He remembered seeing such strength only the night before when his village was saved by the Rocket Knight. As Qale edged closer Gawki suddenly swung his sword over his shoulder attempting to surprise Qale, but to no success and ended up with Qale's sword jabbed into his side. Qale moved him away from the trees and kicked him back onto the muddy ground. Gawki began coughing hard as he looked over his deep side wound bleeding onto the mud beneath him. Qale stood over him like an executioner silently waiting to finish off a sentence. To his surprise Gawki quickly jumped to his feet in one last attempt for a desperate hit. Blaze watched this as Qale quickly slammed his foot into the mud and wound his sword behind him much like the Rocket Knight executed on Despote the night before. Then everything became clear as he watched Qale move to the mirror image of Seiji's strike that shattered Despote's Sword the night before as it blew apart Gawki's blade and scattered it about the ground.

"That's…just like what the Rocket Knight did! It's just like it!" Blaze said in awe as Doli and Hakan looked to him confused by what he meant.

With the failed strike, Gawki crashed into Qale, who kicked him back to the ground and positioned his sword over his neck.

"Do it!" Blaze shouted to Doli and Hakan's surprise, "Kill him! Kill him for everything he did! Those pigs…they don't deserve to live!"

"Blaze…?" Doli said to him while watching as he stood infuriated and yearning for the commander's death as he wiped tears from his eyes.

Qale kneeled down next to the wounded Gawki pulling a small knife from his back and the blade to his neck.

"I'm sorry this had to end like this…forgive me. You and your men will be given a warrior's burial; I'll see to it myself. May the ancient spirits of these lands protect you." He spoke.

Blaze continued to wipe the tears from his eyes before hearing the grotesque faint sound of steel being driven into flesh. Before he could glance up to place an image with the sound Doli had covered his sight of it. Qale wiped the blade clean and retracted it, and then began quickly pacing around the area without saying a word. Doli, Blaze, and Hakan remained shaken by the incident that just came to pass, whereas Qale continued to wander about the site as if looking for something. He turned the commander over on his side before placing him on his back once again.

"…All of these men have provisions for at least five more days of travel. They have obviously been sent out on a scout mission by a higher authority in Devotindos to find the sacred blade, but…how did they know the boy had it with him…how?" Qale spoke irritated as he continued searching the area around them, "I was sure to cover up my tracks when I brought the boy here. We must prevent anyone else from discovering this location. I'll have to cover up the trail they took to find this place and bury them all here. We can't have any more reconnaissance troops coming here. If this continues they'll surely send a larger force that we will not be able to suppress so easily."

Qale stared down at the ground momentarily to find Hakan's bloody hatchet at his feet. He picked it up and examined it thoroughly before looking down as if disappointed.

"Doli…my dear child…please, as I've already asked, no matter what the circumstances may be….do not use your powers here in this land, and especially not in the presence of outsiders. I strictly forbade it."

"Yes Master…" Doli replied quietly, "Bu-"

"Hakan, come here." Qale commanded interrupting Doli.

Hakan slowly walked over to Qale still gripping his arm. Qale held the bloody hatchet up to his face and he could still smell the nauseating stench of the wet blood.

"Tell me Hakan what you felt as you dirtied this axe. I want to know, because I have also felt it once. Tell me, did you enjoy it? Is it something you felt like you could do again? Ten more times? Hundreds more times? That is what it means to be a warrior. It is the very nature of the warrior itself!"

Hakan looked away as he shut his eyes hard while tears began rolling down his face.

"All this was accomplished through the powers of enchantment at that! Warriors of Haruk do not have personal enchanters, as they're lucky to even see one in their lifetime. There is nothing but raw steel against steel! Know this, Hakan, before you begin devoting your life to this weapon, boy! Foolishness! Do not listen to the ancient law that you were once bound to! Become what you please, not what a doctrine commands you to!"

Hakan fell to his knees weeping as Qale walked away towards the back door of the cabin to check on the other members of the Devotindos squad.

"Tend to his injuries if you would please, Doli. He learned an important lesson tonight and deserves rest." Qale said as he passed her by.

"Yes Master…" She replied walking over to Hakan on the ground.

Suddenly Qale was startled as he felt a tight grip around his leg only to find a frightened Blaze tightly hugging it. He looked down surprised as Blaze looked to him as the tears from his face faded into a look of sincerity.

"Please, teach me how to do that! I want to kill him! I want to kill Despote!" Blaze said with a quivering voice.

"What…?" Qale asked him.

"Please teach me how to fight like you so I can kill him! That pig killed my mom, my dad, and my friends! Please..!" Blaze shouted before gripping his throbbing head once again.

Qale picked him up as he passed out and was preparing to take him inside.

"Do not worry about the boy." He said to Doli, "He's probably just fatigued again."

Hakan said nothing as he looked off to the side as Doli grabbed his arm and rested it on her knee while she reached into her pocket and opened a jar of healing salve. She gently rubbed it onto his wounds as he tensed.

"That's one of the things I'll really miss about Haruk. There are no healers in this magic-forsaken place…" Hakan pouted.

"Well, excuse me if my skills are not adequate enough for the needs of the mighty warrior Hakan..." Doli huffed.

"…Thanks. You saved me just now…" Hakan finally admitted.

"Well…although the Master is against it…I had no choice. If I had let you die he would've been miserable." Doli replied.

Hakan looked up to her surprised at this.

"What do you mean?"

Doli closed the lid on her jar and placed it back into her pocket as she got up and turned towards the cabin door.

"I guess you can't really see it, but I can. He cares about you more than you think, you know. Like he said we're not in Haruk, so he doesn't treat us all like a tribe anymore. More like a…family…like these Zebulans have." She said walking into the cabin leaving Hakan out under the stars.

"A…family…?" Hakan thought, only hearing the word a few times before described to him as a group of people closer than any tribe in heart and spirit. He began to like this idea of them being a 'family' as he continued to think.

Blaze awoke early that morning to find his sharp headache had calmed to soreness in the back of his head. He jumped out of bed and gazed out the window to find that daybreak had yet to come, but was no longer tired. Hearing the awkward sound of digging coming from behind the cabin, he crept outside to investigate. There he found Qale, who appeared to have stayed up all night to bury the bodies of the Devotindos soldiers. He had lined them up in a row on their backs and placed their hands on their chest as though they were resting peacefully. At their feet were the weapons which they had been carrying with them the night before. Blaze continued to watch from around the corner as Qale dug the last hole for Commander Gawki when he suddenly set the shovel down and slightly tilted his head in Blaze's direction.

"It's all right child. You can come closer now." Qale spoke to the figure of Blaze behind the corner.

While finding it eerie, Blaze stepped forward and slowly walked over to the site as Qale continued working. He sat down on an old tree stump facing Qale and watched him as he continued to dig with a blank expression about his face.

"You seem to be feeling a little better…you said your name was Blaze?" Qale asked.

"Yes, Sir Qale." Blaze quietly replied.

Qale noticed Blaze seemed to be more relaxed around him than he was during their previous encounter and a slight grin appeared on his face while he continued working over the graves.

"You do not have to refer to me as Sir Qale, young Blaze, as I am no longer a knight of any country."

"So I guess that means you're not a hunter after all?" Blaze asked curiously.

Qale paused for a moment remembering he had previously told Blaze he was a hunter to avoid giving his situation away.

"Yes, that is correct. You're probably confused as to who we are. Doli, Hakan, and myself are from a country deep in the mountains beyond Zebulos known as Haruk."

"Haruk?" Blaze asked, "I've never heard of that place before…"

"…I suppose you probably wouldn't know of it." Qale said realizing Blaze's age, "I told you before that we are on the Zebulos/Devotindos border, but actually we are closer to the mountains just behind Zebulos' border. Beyond these mountains lies a country called Haruk, which is different from both Zebulos and Devotindos."

"If Haruk is a country, why haven't I ever heard of it?" Blaze asked curiously.

Qale scratched the back of his head before starting to place the bodies in their respective graves.

"Haruk is a special country. They chose to hide from the rest of Elhorn because they were afraid of the others."

"Why are they afraid?" Blaze pondered.

Qale chuckled as he placed another body in its grave before rising to his feet again to look to Blaze with an unpleasant smile.

"…Because, Haruk is a very dangerous place, and they do not want that danger to spread to the rest of Elhorn. If it did, a lot of bad things would happen."

"So is that why you left Haruk, Qale?"

"I had many reasons for leaving Haruk…" Qale spoke quietly as he stopped what he was doing and looked down to the ground.

He paused for a moment before running his hand over the odd scar on his face. Blaze watched this and noticed something odd around the outside as though five red spots lined up across the scar marked an area around the wound as though they were once connected as lines. He began to wonder if they were once similar to the lines on Doli and Hakan's faces. These were somehow different, as Doli had two lines, and Hakan one, while these appeared to Blaze to have once been five.

"Did you want to escape from it because it was dangerous?"

Qale suddenly resumed burying the bodies trying to ignore the question, and simply brushed it off with a laugh.

"Children such as you needn't worry about such things. All that matters now is that I am here in Zebulos, and as long as I remain here you are welcome to stay as long as you please."

"Oh…" Blaze replied somewhat shocked by this, "Thanks for saving me. Hey, could you tell me if you know anyone else who escaped from my village, Qale?"

Qale ceased again and thought about what to tell the boy. He feared that if he told Blaze the truth it would just burden him with even more grief as he stood eyeing down the trees in front of him. He wanted to go check on the burning village in the distance after rescuing Blaze that night but found it too risky. He took a deep sigh before answering.

"I'm sorry about your village young Blaze, but I'm afraid I was unable to get any closer that night as there were still Zebulan guards present, and being a stranger to this land I could not intervene…I'm sorry, but it appears your entire village no longer exists…perhaps if you'd like I may be able to take you back there eventually to meet with your townspeople."

"No…" Blaze said tilting his head down Blaze said beginning to sob, "There's nothing left there for me anyway. It's just like I told you Qale…everyone I know is gone. I heard a knight talking to someone saying how everyone in the village said all of my friends and family were killed. It was stupid of me to try to go back to the village that night. I have nowhere left to go…"

Qale slowly walked over to Blaze and rested his hand on his shoulder now fully understanding that the worst had become a reality for the boy.

"It's all right Blaze; I can imagine how you must feel at this time…" Qale empathized.

"You can't understand how I feel…!" Blaze said pressing his hands into his forehead as his tears fell to the muddy ground beneath him.

Qale decided it best to leave him alone and continued burying the bodies. After he had finished he took each weapon and used them as markers for the grave sites. Blaze stopped crying for a moment to watch this. When he had finally marked the last of the graves Qale wiped the dirt from his hands and walked over to Blaze sitting atop the tree stump where he sat down next to him.

"…When I was a boy, a little younger than you are now, I came to find I wasn't welcome in this world. My father was a great warrior in Haruk, but he belonged to a tribe other than my mother's, and this later caused a problem when her tribe was attacked and wiped out by another tribe. This left me an orphan along with my older sister. We had nowhere to go, so the important people in Haruk gave us to my father. While he sent my sister away to the capitol, causing us to become separated for many years, he rejected me, and released me onto the streets where I was cold and lonely every night. For weeks I stole from others that had been abandoned by their tribes or orphaned like myself to survive. One day I had become so desperate that I had tried to steal money from a passing noble in the streets during broad daylight. I was startled when he suddenly grabbed my hand as I was reaching for his pocket and threw me into a narrow alleyway. I laid in the alley as he suddenly revealed a sword he had been carrying with him the whole time. I blamed my own foolishness for not noticing he was a warrior and shut my eyes waiting for him to kill me. I felt his chilling blade push my head to the side on both sides as he looked for a tribe icon to identify me, but was surprised to find none. He laughed, and asked me to come with him. He promised me that if I cooperated I'd never have to worry about people taking anything else from me ever again. That warrior took me into his home in secret and raised me, where he taught me some of the dangerous things that exist in Haruk that I told you about. After I had grown up, I became a soldier in the Haruk army fighting for the royal family, and eventually gained status as a famous warrior amongst the strongest tribes. Soon after one of the tribe leaders took notice and challenged my unit to a battle. It was a fierce fight that lasted many hours until I had finally reached a hill where the commander was waiting for me. I battled the faceless warrior for what seemed like an eternity before I had struck him down. I glanced over his lifeless face when I became shocked by what I had seen. That tribe was that of my father's. In accordance with the Haruk laws my Master at last publicly came forth and had announced that I was the fallen warrior's son, and from then on I was chosen as the rightful heir to my father's tribe. Through the help of that warrior I had defied the fate that my father had sentenced me to, and created a place in this world for myself."

Blaze sat gazing at Qale while listening to the story, and then suddenly opened his eyes wider as he began to speak.

"So you lost your parents when you were young too, but that warrior taught you how to live. Why can't you do the same for me? Please Qale; teach me what you know about being a warrior! I know you're strong after last night. There was a Rocket Knight that saved me and the other villagers and he fought just the same as you did last night! They called him the White Blade!"

Qale suddenly became intrigued by this, and rubbed his chin pondering what Blaze had meant.

"A Rocket Knight you say...? The Rocket Knights are skilled warriors from what I've heard, but it is not possible for one to know the type of swordsmanship I am versed in. In fact it's only known to a handful of people within Haruk itself."

"But I watched him, and he fought just like you did yesterday! I want to learn how to be that tough just like you two! I want to kill Despote after what he did! Please teach me!"

"…Teaching you such a thing would only result in bringing you more harm. Do you think that's really what your parents want?" Qale replied.

Blaze was silent for a moment after hearing this as Qale slowly rose from where he sat and looked off at the horizon as dawn was beginning to break.

"This is quite a beautiful country. It's certainly no place for war." Qale said watching the trees move in the gentle wind a short distance away.

"I don't like this place anymore!" Blaze said bitterly, "If Zebulos was really a good place then my parents would still be here! Why did they have to die? I don't understand! That monster took everything away from me. It's not fair! It's just not!"

Qale looked backed to him with a worried look on his face and crouched down next to him on the ground.

"This cursed land may be full of pain and suffering, but that does not mean one has to stand by and allow it to continue. That is why I chose the path of a warrior. I wanted to make a difference in the never-ending bloodshed that has continued since I was a boy, but Haruk refused to change simply because its people chose not to. Your Zebulos, however, may just have a far different fate than Haruk in the future. This Rocket Knight you spoke of has become well known for trying to go against the darkness of this land, and I'd very much like to meet him some day."

"I never even had a chance to say goodbye to my parents that night…" Blaze said.

"There is really no need to say goodbye as long as you remember them. I'm sure your parents will always be watching over you, young Blaze. Believe what you will, but as long as you understand this they will never be far from your heart so long as you keep them in your memory. I shall pray for them in my own way just as I shall pray for these brave warriors who met their end much sooner than they should have had to…"

Blaze watched as Qale stood over the graves silently, and then looked back to the morning horizon. He then remembered the last words of his father, and suddenly felt a little better confirming that what Qale had said may have been the truth after all.

"Mom…dad…I promise I'll try not to be sad anymore. I think I've been too upset to listen lately, but I think Sir Qale is right. You said you and mom would be watching over me, right dad? I promise I won't be afraid anymore, and I'll try to get along with these people, so please be happy for me, okay? Someday, I hope to be tough just like Sir Qale and the White Blade so I can help to make sure what happened to me won't happen to any more kids. Despote…I'll never forgive you…and some day I'll make sure you get yours…"

Meanwhile far beyond the borderlands Despote sat nervously as he was being escorted to the Devotindos imperial palace while placing his fingers over what remained of his tightly bandaged snout where he was struck down. He grinned unpleasantly recalling the events of that night and wondering how he would explain his actions to the Emperor as he gazed out the window of his carriage watching the smoke climb from the chimneys of the heavy industrialized capitol of Devotindos. The color of the gloomy sky continued to reflect his inner feelings as he came closer to the palace with every passing moment. Before long he arrived at the palace gate when he felt a lump form in his throat and was still unsure of what to say. Finally the carriage came to a halt before the palace doors and a short, harmless looking pig man dressed in a velvet blue cloak with yellow trim opened the carriage door.

"Welcome back, Captain. Please follow me as his Excellency demands your presence at once." He said pushing his thin wire framed glasses up.

Despote nudged the officer out of the way and huffed.

"Get out of my way, Garnel! I have no time for you!" Despote snapped feeling pressured.

Garnel followed him closely behind as they walked into the elaborately decorated main hall. Despote began sweating under the pressure as they neared the doors of the throne room.

"How could I have let this happen?" Despote thought to himself, "The Gray Banner Knights are the most highly respected soldiers in Devotindos! Damn Lord Sanjulo and his men! What was he doing in a remote village area on the boarder anyway? I lost the Emperor's weapon on top of it! I must find an excuse, or else it will surely be my head!"

Before Despote could finish contemplating his situation he was at the throne room doors to which he looked at shocked that they had already arrived.

"Please wait here and I'll inform his Excellency you have arrived." Garnel said as he opened the door and closed it gently behind him.

There was a silence in the hall as the two guards posted at the Emperors door glanced over at Despote's face. Looking up for a second to notice this as he was stroking his snout Despote quickly looked to them angered.

"What are you looking at? Mind your posts!" Despote commanded.

The guards quickly snapped back into form without provoking it further. Suddenly there was a loud crashing noise coming from the throne room which startled all three of them followed by a roaring garbled yelling coming from behind the door. Amidst the thundering the faint voice of Garnel could be heard before the Emperor would begin shouting again. Finally one last loud crash before everything fell silent for a few moments before one last outburst.

"Despote!" The Emperor shouted as his loud voice echoed through the thick wooden doors as through they were paper thin.

The two guards on post jumped before stiffly turning their heads slowly towards Captain Despote's direction. Despote himself paused where he stood as his complexion turned pale. Moments later Garnel appeared from behind the door and peered out into the hallway looking at Despote with a disturbed look.

"Th…The Emperor will see you now…" He spoke quietly as he waved his hand with the motion to follow him inside.

The guards quickly jumped out of the way as Despote walked into the throne room and slowly marched across the velvet carpet beneath his feet into the dimly lit chamber. At the very end sat Emperor Devilgus Devotindos looking very upset while polishing his monocle as Garnel quickly walked up to the throne and stood beside him peering down at Despote in front of them as would a parrot perched atop its Master's shoulder. Despote kneeled before the Emperor with his face to the floor waiting for him to speak.

"What happened, Despote? Why have I been informed that something was seized from us during the defeat of your men at Zebulos' hand?" The Emperor asked as he clenched the monocle in his fist until it shattered leaving him staring down at Despote with an angry grin.

Despote looked up for a moment to find the Emperor's right eye pulsating and quickly looked back down ashamed before answering. He swallowed hard and cleared his throat before answering.

"Well…your Excellency…you see…I took the sacred weapon from Haruk with me just as you instructed me to do to use in my battles. I selected a Zebulan colony nearby the borderlands to test it just as you had instructed me to, my liege. Everything was fine until HE showed up! He stood before me, Lord Sanjulo, the White Blade! Then he defeated my best guardsmen and seized the weapon from me in the moment!"

The Emperor gasped, and Garnel too was surprised by this.

"You lost WHAT?" The Emperor snapped, "That sword has powers beyond anything your feeble mind could imagine! It was designed to grow in power through battles until it would be strong enough to overpower even Lord Sanjulo himself! Idiot! Did you even attempt to retrieve it?"

Despote suddenly stopped breathing before the Emperor and felt as though his fate was sealed after revealing the truth. Suddenly Garnel cleared his throat and Despote looked to him finding a scroll in his hands preparing to read from it.

"Actually your highness, Despote had dispatched three units from the regular army and two from the Gray Banner Knights to search for the sword." Garnel stated unraveling the scroll, "According to this record, a scout informed the Captain of a boy he saw that very night carrying a sword into a canyon not far from the Zebulan village that was attacked. four of these units returned to the capitol this morning, but one of them has not returned. We fear that because they were sent so deep into Zebulan territory they may have been captured. These guards were, of course, from the Captain's unit."

Emperor Devilgus became red in the face and looked as though he were ready to begin shouting again. Then he suddenly calmed himself and placed his hand over his face before looking down at Despote again as he nervously awaited his sentence.

"…You've disappointed me and disgraced me in more ways than you could possibly know! You obviously enjoy patrolling the front, Captain! In that case I am assigning you and your unit to the borderlands until you manage to find that sword or until I am in possession of Zebulos' key…whichever comes first! Leave me, and don't return until that sword is found and in your possession!"

Despote looked up to the Emperor both shocked and terrified by this. He knew this meant to face Seiji yet again, and that trying to find the boy that had come into possession of the sword after all that had happened would more than likely take years.

"B-but your highness surely I can be given more time to find the child that has stolen the sword? On the borderlands only the Rocket Knights await me! Look how they have already disgraced me…!" Despote said touching his bandaged snout.

"Good! I'd better not catch you in my sight again until the sword is returned, or I'll cut the rest of it off personally! Away with you!" The Emperor growled causing Despote to quickly flee the throne room.

Devilgus slouched in his throne and breathed a long sigh before rising up and walked towards a door on the side of the throne room. Garnel followed closely. Behind the door was a metal spiral staircase which the Emperor and Garnel began to descend.

"Perhaps you'd also like to know your highness," Garnel said, "That the scout who saw the boy enter the canyon also saw him leave being carried out by an unfamiliar soldier to the region. While he does not match the descriptions of the knights from the common areas of Elhorn the scout described this soldier as possibly originating from the kingdom of Haruk."

Devilgus suddenly stopped descending the staircase and placed his hand on the stone wall beside him.

"It's just like that idiot Despote to be so clumsy. I should've known better than to trust him with such a thing. I reward one of my most successful soldiers with the greatest prize ever to cross into this land and he uses it to ransack a useless boarder village and then loses it to a rodent brat only to have it end up right back in the hands of the ones I stole it from!"

"However, this is indeed good news sire if true. This would mean that Lord Sanjulo has not obtained it to use for his own benefit which may have led to very bad results for us. At least we can now be sure that the sword is retrievable to some extent without having to worry about interference from the Rocket Knights."

"Oh, that Sanjulo...!" The Emperor said rubbing his eyes in misery as he continued descending the staircase, "If only he would just stay put in his castle like a general should. Why must he comb the borderlands and cause me so much of a headache?"

At the end of the staircase there was the loud sound of working engines as they appeared in the hangar of a large underground factory. Devilgus placed his hands on the metal railing along the hangar walkway and peered across at the latest models of his airships being built by the busy workers. Garnel walked up next to him.

"As you can see your Excellency…all materials have now been accounted for, and we will be ahead of schedule in the next month. If things go according to plan we will be able to begin the invasion in five years time with or without the sacred weapon from Haruk. In any case, Devotindos smiths have carefully re-crafted its exterior to appear as a normal Devotindos weapon. Should it have fallen into the hands of a foreign soldier they would probably just dismiss it as an ordinary weapon until we can recover it."

The Emperor had a slight grin of satisfaction on his face as he looked across the hangar and then back down to Garnel.

"I see you've thought of everything Garnel…excellent work! In that case I'll keep my mind occupied on other things for the time being. Soon Zebulos - soon you'll have no choice but to surrender to me even with the help of your White Blade." The Emperor chuckled as he walked away.

Despote had returned to the castle's courtyard and returned to his carriage feeling a sense of relief that he had been sparred. While at the same time he became incredibly enraged that his entire unit had been demoted to duty on the borderlands. He slammed his fist into the carriage door.

"Damn you Seiji Sanjulo, and damn that Zebulan runt! I'll find you boy. No matter how long it takes me I will return that sword to this Empire and restore the name of the Gray Banner Knights which you destroyed in a single night! I'll do it by any means necessary. Mark my words!"

The sky was pitch black as the only things illuminating the surrounding area were the waning crescent of the moon above and the nearby lanterns which had been lit about the open area in front of the stone temple. Doli collapsed to the stone floor and was weeping as Hakan placed his hands on her shoulders while looking behind him with his mouth hung open in shock as he watched the brutal fight that was taking place between Qale and a younger warrior. There was a loud clanging of steel as Qale slid back before coming to a halt. He grinned angrily towards the young warrior exposing his bloody teeth as blood rolled down the side of his mouth from a nasty head wound. They connected, and locked in a struggle as Qale peered down into the shadowed face of his adversary while Doli continued sobbing. He pushed the figure back farther and farther towards the light until his face began to appear from the darkness.

Suddenly Qale opened his eyes and found himself outside near the graves in the yard beside the cabin resting against the tree stump. He breathed a deep sigh and rubbed his eyes remembering he had fallen asleep waiting for Blaze to go back inside.

"That child stood here all morning before leaving?" Qale thought.

He suddenly heard the sound of feint footsteps behind him and slowly reached for his sword. Being cautious he quickly turned his head and looked to find Doli behind him. He slowly rose up from the ground to greet her.

"Master Qale, I've spoke with Kajika in town like you asked. He sent a local to hide rations in the woods. Hakan went out to retrieve them a few moments ago."

"Where is Blaze?" Qale asked curious.

"I don't know where that child is getting all of his energy from after being put through so much." Doli sighed, "He said he no longer wanted to sleep, and went with Hakan to find the rations in the woods."

Qale looked to her with a worried look on his face and rubbed the back of his neck.

"…I'm not too sure if I'm comfortable with that. Would you mind if I asked you to go make sure the two of them do not cause any trouble?" Qale asked.

"Of course not." Doli replied, "I would have objected to it had Blaze not been so enthusiastic to help. That child is really quite thoughtful…"

"He is also wounded." Qale added, "Do not forget that Doli. Now please return them both here as soon as possible. There may be other Devotindos in this area."

Doli nodded in compliance and walked behind the cabin into the woods. Qale watched her as he still wondered how he managed to fall asleep while beginning to think that he felt somewhat more relaxed when Blaze was around. He became disturbed by this and thought of it as distraction to his consciousness as he walked back into the cabin awaiting their return.

Hakan was walking swiftly through the woods with the rations he had uncovered as Blaze trailed behind. He stopped for a moment and noticed that many of the trees made even patterns and it seemed as though they had been walking through a maze.

"Are we lost?" Blaze finally asked.

"No! Now be quiet I'm trying to remember which path we were supposed to take next…" Hakan replied surveying the area around him.

"I'm scared. I don't think I remember any of this when we came out here."

"Nobody asked you to come! If Doli had not forced me to take you I wouldn't have. Now stop complaining and stay close."

Hakan marched on becoming annoyed by the young Blaze, but was still unsure if he was heading in the right direction. Blaze stopped for a moment hearing a loud crunching sound behind him. He gasped and looked behind him only to find nothing. Brushing it off as nothing for a moment he then heard the loud screech of a bird and became startled. He quickly looked forward to find Hakan and traveled far ahead of him and run as fast as he could to catch up. Hakan suddenly stopped to check his direction and was tackled as Blaze crashed into his back. They both tumbled into a trench in front of them until they came to a stop in the muddy pool at the bottom. Everything came to a stop as they both laid in the mud for a few moments before Hakan swatted Blaze off his back.

"Get off of me!" Hakan commanded as Blaze quickly jumped away. Returning to his feet, he brushed the basket of rations off before huffing. He then looked back down at the boy upset.

"We wouldn't be in this situation in the first place if you hadn't burdened Qale that night and caused him to reveal himself to the Devotindos scouts!"

"Geez…I'm sorry." Blaze replied quietly, "I knew we were lost…"

"We aren't lost!" Hakan snapped.

"It looks like you boys are lost to me…" The voice of Doli spoke coming from above them.

Blaze and Hakan looked up at the top of the trench and saw Doli standing over them.

"We weren't lost. We were just fine until he started causing trouble." Hakan pouted.

"That's not the way I saw it. I was watching the whole thing as you let him lag behind you." Doli replied in Blaze's defense.

"I knew where I was going; there's no need to scold me!" Hakan replied walking back up next to Doli.

"We'll just take the trail east of here and be back to the cabin in no time." She said pointing it out to him.

"I already knew that!" Hakan lied, "I'll be going on ahead by myself."

Doli watched as he hurried down the trail and chuckled, and then looked down at Blaze in the trench as he reached down and picked up the basket Hakan left behind. He carried it up to her and they began walking towards the trail.

"You know with the way he misbehaves I sometimes think of him as being the younger one between you two." She laughed, and Blaze laughed with her, "Here, let me carry that."

She reached out to take the basket from Blaze but he refused and shook his head.

"Nah, it's all right. I used to carry things back to my mom all the time when I was living in the village."

"That's very kind of you. Thank you for helping, but please remember that you are still injured and we would not expect you to be doing so much right now. You seem to adapt quickly to your surroundings, little Blaze." She replied smiling at him.

"Well, I sort of had to learn, I guess. Before last winter I lived with my family in Zebulos' capitol. There was no food or money, and we sometimes had nothing to eat for dinner. Then my dad heard that they needed farmers and builders like him to work out here in the borderlands, so we left. People warned us that it would be better to be starving than dead, but my dad told them he would take the chance. The first few months were nice, and I made lots of friends. I liked living in the village..."

Doli fell silent on the issue afraid to bring up any bad memories as Blaze continued:

"Doli, why did you guys run away from Haruk? Was it a bad place to live like the Zebulos capitol was for my family?"

"Master Qale never told you?" She asked.

"I asked him before, but he just told me that there were many reasons to leave, and that us children shouldn't worry about those things."

"Yes, I suppose that is true. We all left for many reasons. I wanted to leave Haruk because they were forcing me to do many bad things to people. I never wanted to hurt anyone." Doli replied.

Blaze looked up to her and noticed she had a worried look on her face, and then noticed the strange tattoo on the side of her face again.

"Doli, can I ask you another question? What are these things on your faces?" Blaze asked pointing to the tattoo.

Doli ran her hand over it before answering.

"Oh, I suppose someone on the outside might be curious about these. These are how we identify each other in Haruk. These lines mean I was once part of the special military, and the color means I was once part of Haruk's sorcerer tribes."

"What does the Bird mean?" Blaze asked, "It looks like a bird anyway…"

"That is…just a symbol of something that I was going to belong to someday if I stayed in Haruk. It was never finished because I left, and that is why the bird looks strange."

"Oh, I see. So that's why it looks like its wing is broke." Blaze said.

"Yes…" Doli replied softly as she began to think back on her troublesome past, and of the person who also shared the same tattoo.

After a few minutes they arrived at the rear of the cabin and walked to the front to find Hakan hastily taking things from the basket and Qale outside near the fire. Doli went to sit beside Qale as Blaze ran over to where Hakan was and began taking food from the basket. Hakan grabbed the opposite end of a bread roll Blaze had uncovered and they began fighting over possession of it.

"Thank you for looking after those two Doli." Qale said.

"It wasn't a problem, Master." She replied while leaning over and whacking Hakan on the ear causing him to let go of the bread roll which Blaze quickly ate.

Blaze looked up at Hakan with a smile as Hakan was preparing to attack him when they suddenly heard the sounds of footsteps walking up the hill. They quickly assembled behind Qale who still appeared perfectly calm.

"Hurry up and present yourself, Kajika. You are frightening everyone after what took place last night.

The sound of cheerful chuckling could be heard as a figure appeared clad in dark animal furs. He was a man from Haruk considerably shorter than Qale and kept a constant smile on his face. Blaze looked for a tattoo similar to the ones he had seen before but this time only saw three red dots on the side of the man's face.

"Well, I see you've found my rations." Kajika spoke.

"There's no need to be frightened of Kajika, Blaze." Qale assured, "He is a merchant from Haruk that helped us escape to here and is a friend of mine."

"Yes, I've heard all about your little encounter last night from Doli. It's amazing how determined these Devotindos are to retrieve that weapon. Coming directly into Zebulan territory is definitely a bold action to take for the Devotindos army." Kajika said sitting down across from them at the fire.

"Kajika, has anyone been able to tell you how they managed to trace the sword here?"

Kajika scratched his head and gazed into the fire.

"Actually I've been speaking with local merchants in the nearby towns and it seems even they have heard rumors of a boy that escaped from his attacked village with a secret Devotindos weapon. It seems one of the Devotindos scouts reported seeing the boy travel into the canyon with the weapon and emerge from it being carried away by a strange soldier. I doubt that the scout followed you all the way back here to the mountains. Perhaps it was just a coincidence that those troops stumbled upon this location last night as Devotindos sent many soldiers into Zebulos. Either way it is too dangerous for you to continue hunting these grounds. I'll have to continue sending more provisions for as long as you must stay here. I suppose this is the boy from the canyon." Kajika said looking at Blaze still smiling.

"Why should we trust even you, Kajika? I'm sure that the Devotindos would pay any hunter a great deal to have the boy returned to them. I still often wonder if you would turn us in for a price…" Doli said.

Kajika was silent for a moment and then began chuckling.

"Me? Nonsense child, I'm not a hunter. Even if I did give the Devotindos your location I too would be sent back to Haruk and then they would know I was doing other things besides trading outside of the country. Besides, someone would have to be a fool to go back on his word to the former leader of the Blade Knights and expect to live after doing so." Kajika chuckled referring to Qale.

"Who are these hunters?" Hakan asked.

"They are the bounty hunters I told you of when we first arrived here that make a living on returning deserters to Haruk. The Devotindos issue warrants just as they have for us to find them for a certain price. After they are captured Devotindos is rewarded by the throne with a certain bounty of which a fraction of that is returned to the hunter. It is a secret which Haruk has kept from its people for many years." Kajika replied.

Hakan was shocked when hearing this as he had always believed people were safe from Haruk's military once successfully escaping.

"So what of our warrants, Kajika? How long until it will be safe to leave this place?" Doli asked.

"I won't know for a few more days when I go into a major town. As far as future visits from the Devotindos I don't think you need be too worried about that. There is a new town being constructed nearby by a former Zebulan knight. The Devotindos know of this as well and have probably dismissed the missing troops which you've encountered as being captured by the workers in that town."

"I see…that is good news." Qale said getting up as Kajika was preparing to leave.

"I just thought I'd stop by to make sure you were all right Lord Qale. I'll have someone send rations every day to the same place. Hopefully they will not attract too much attention. I should return in a few days with more news."

"Are you not afraid that the guards in Haruk may become suspicious if you are gone for too long?"

"I've been making quite the profits lately. This time I shared some of it with the border guards which have allowed me a little more freedom when trading outside of Haruk." Kajika chuckled.

"Do be careful, and thank you for everything Kajika." Qale replied watching him walk back down the steps.

After Kajika had left Doli ran up beside Qale with a concerned look.

"Master, can we really trust a merchant like him? I know he was the one that found this place for us, but don't you think we're relying on him a little too much?"

"You have nothing to worry about Doli." Qale replied, "Kajika served my Master as well, and I'm positive he won't go back on his word. I know you are worried that we may be taken back to Haruk, but do not fear. Even if such a thing were to happen I would not let them take us back so easily."

"I'm just worried that we may be forced to stay here longer because of me. I know that the royal guard must be frantically searching for a way to have me returned for my abilities. I feel as though I'm being a burden to both you and Hakan."

Qale walked up to her and took her by the hands as she looked into his face disturbed.

"There are many painful things we had to leave behind to come here, but soon we won't have to think of those things for much longer. Kajika will find us a place where we can go until Haruk forgets about us just as we have forgotten about Haruk. Please believe me when I tell you that I think of neither you, nor Hakan, or even Blaze as being burdens to me."

"What about you, Master?" Doli asked becoming continuously upset, "Your entire life has revolved around Haruk, and I just can't see it being easy for you to turn away from it! You were the greatest General of them all! The leader of the Blade Knights! Even if we were able to finally be free from Haruk would it truly please you? Can you really believe that or have you just left to put our minds at ease?"

Qale was reluctant to answer for a few moments before he finally did.

"…Yes, Doli. I am happy to finally be able to leave Haruk behind me. I was never truly happy being a soldier, and never enjoyed killing others while being used as a tool for the royal family. Yes, I am overjoyed to be leaving that place behind. Soon both yourself and Hakan will realize just what it means to have a choice in how you will live your lives. I had always imagined what it would be like…as had my comrades. Unfortunately it is too late for me to be able to make such a choice, but the two of you are still young. It pleases me enough that the two of you have been given this chance, and for that alone I am glad to have left Haruk behind me. Don't worry Doli. Your future has changed for the better. I can assure you of that." Qale said before walking back inside.

Doli remained outside staring down at the scenery below her from the mountain as thoughts from her past in Haruk began racing through her mind. She began to miss home, and at the same time detested some of the things which ultimately led her to leave it behind.

Time continued to pass quickly for everyone except Qale who spent most of his time sitting on the cabin floor while thinking about their situation and the events that came to pass days before. After a few days Blaze felt much better and began helping Doli with the chores as Hakan watched bitterly from a distance becoming upset by this as he watched Blaze take over his responsibilities seemingly without a complaint.

He followed Doli and Blaze to the river in the woods close by where they had gone with the laundry and he watched them from behind a tree as Blaze eagerly helped standing in the middle of the river. As he watched them he began to notice how quickly Blaze became accepted into their group by everyone except him. There was something Hakan despised in Blaze, but could not figure out exactly what it was.

Qale remained inside the cabin, and now noticed that he was alone as he peered out the doorway across from him. He began thinking about what he and Doli had talked about a few days before.

"Maybe she is right…" Qale thought, "Maybe this Zebulos just is too quiet for someone like me…without a purpose…without a reason to actually be here. I know I made the right choice by leaving Haruk behind. Doli will be much happier once we leave this mountain retreat. I'm sure Hakan too will come to terms with this change as well. As long as you are freed from your task that was brought before you in Haruk, Doli, I care not for myself. Still, you are right. How can I acknowledge that I am satisfied with leaving Haruk behind after I had abandoned my student? I was surely too hard on him, but I could no longer tolerate the injustice being brought upon us. Forgive me, Ahiga."

The morning mist was setting in on the mountains of Haruk as the sounds of steel clanging together echoed through the air. A young soldier skid across the stone floor before coming to a halt on his feet as the sweat pouring from his head fell in front of him. He held his sword in both hands firmly out in front of him while breathing hard and staring back at his instructor. The Master stepped forward out of the mist revealing five red parallel lines tattooed onto the left side of his face. A symbol of three swords crossed over each other and three stars next to them were directly above the lines indicating a warrior of great military stature.

"…It's too difficult for me at this height, Master. I'm having enough trouble breathing let alone focusing!" The young warrior said panting.

"You're being too hard on your body, Ahiga." The Master replied, "Focus on the goal of striking me instead of the condition of the air. Nothing else need matter until you do, and then you will succeed."

Ahiga squatted low to the ground before charging towards the man and lifted his sword to his side. He swung, but the instructor quickly stepped to the side and kicked Ahiga's leg out from underneath him. Ahiga quickly fell and lost hold of his sword as it was caught by the Master in the air before he stumbled to the ground. The Master chuckled lightly as he held the sword out in front of Ahiga to return it to him.

"Well I'd imagine it would be quite difficult to accomplish your task without this now, wouldn't it?" He said to him.

"I'm sorry Master Qale…" Ahiga said taking the sword and sitting in front of him on the floor with his head bowed, "I have no excuse for my poor performance today. This is not like me at all."

"Don't be so ashamed, Ahiga. You've improved much in the past few months. I truly believe you will be ready to attain my title soon. It seems as though your father wishes you to attain it much sooner that I had anticipated, but I'm sure he will be pleased once he sees your results."

Ahiga rose to his feet in front of Qale and was still too ashamed to look him in the face. He looked down at the floor with a frown.

"But Master in all honestly no one wants me to be the leader of the Blade Knights."

Qale paused for a moment and then began laughing.

"Nonsense boy, you are an heir of the Blade Phoenix tribe, and the position is rightfully yours."

"But that's just it. I'm having the title handed to me while you achieved your status through your own actions, and that's what people respect you for. I don't ever think I could accomplish such a thing..."

Qale again laughed at this and placed his hand on Ahiga's shoulder looking down to him with a smile.

"You are still too young to be worrying about making a name for yourself. That will come with time, and as a future Blade Knight you must accept this to accomplish your duty. Rushing into things will only burden you in the end, young Ahiga."

Ahiga paused for a moment before allowing a slight grin to appear on his face.

"I suppose you are right. Thank you for making me aware of this, Master. I have much more to learn from your wisdom it seems."

"And I have no means of exempting you from it." Qale chuckled, "Besides, it is time that I left my position. There is much else that needs my attention now."

"Yes, I understand Master." Ahiga replied remembering Qale's new responsibilities after his sister had died only a week before, "As I'm sure everyone else does."

Qale looked to him and then laughed to himself.

"I honestly wonder if they do…" He said uncomfortably with a short sigh.

"Master Qale!" A young female voice said coming from the entrance to the training ground.

Qale and Ahiga quickly turned in its direction to find Doli quickly scaling the steps as she ran up to them. Qale walked over to her with a welcoming smile while Ahiga remained where he was fixated on Doli. Qale turned around to find Ahiga staring back at them as if not wanting to be noticed. He waved to Ahiga to come closer, and Ahiga slowly walked up to them.

"Doli, what brings you here? You should be with your Master at the enchantment temple at this hour. I would like you to meet the student I have been training. He is the son of the Lord of the Blade Phoenix, Ahiga. And this, Ahiga, is my daughter Doli." Qale said introducing them.

Ahiga slowly took Doli's hand in greeting and bowed his head. Doli replied with equal courtesy and then quickly looked back to Qale while Ahiga remained staring at Doli.

"Master, it's Hakan. It seems he's caused some trouble in the market again. One of the priestesses came and informed Master Etenia of this and she sent me here to find you. They have taken him to the palace to meet before the council with you."

Qale angrily grasped his scalp with his hand and became infuriated by this.

"That boy! I told him to stay out of trouble, but he will not listen! Must I constantly keep him under my surveillance at all times? Ahiga, that will be enough for today. For now it is my nephew who is in need of another lesson…"

"I understand Master." Ahiga said finally taking his eyes off Doli for a moment, "It was a pleasure meeting you, Doli."

Doli looked back to him as he glared back at her strangely. She nodded in reply and then followed Qale down the steps of the training grounds. Down the path she was startled as a woman in a blue robe stood in front of her. She removed her hood and smiled back at Doli.

"I was afraid that you may have become lost up here child, but I see you managed to deliver the message. I take it Sir Qale was not pleased?"

"No…he wasn't. I worry about him a lot now. Hakan has been wild and temperamental for the past few days since he began talking to us, and he has put a great strain on all of us as of late."

Etenia sighed as they continued walking down the mountain path.

"Yes, your father is a very busy man lately. Even after being forced to take care of his rebellious nephew from his late sister he is still expected to have Sir Ahiga trained by the next moon ritual. This is the second time this week the boy has caused him trouble. He was never one for children, you know. The warriors usually consider them burdens, but Master Qale is just too busy now to watch after the boy all the time, even if he wished to. I truly feel sorry for him..."

"That is interesting to hear coming from you…if you don't mind me saying so Master." Doli chuckled.

"Come now child, I have sympathy for others as well! Although we are from different association, your father and I both carry the wisdom and experience that we've come to respect each other for. It is the children such as you that need the merciless teachings to become the ones that will eventually attain that level of respect." She laughed.

Doli chuckled lightly, but found it less than funny having been on the receiving end of the teachings she spoke of on a daily basis.

"In any case I'm sure that Hakan will be receiving one of those merciless teachings from Master Qale today. I believe he deserves it after what he has done."

Etenia stopped walking for a moment, and Doli paused alongside her wondering why she had. Expecting her to still have the same smile, Etenia was now looking forward with a straight face.

"Do you think…that Hakan should be punished for what he has done? Even after what Haruk has allowed to happen to him and his parents? His father died in a previous tribe war before it was entirely annihilated by the Raging Star tribe weeks ago. Did you know that? I think Qale may not be too hard on him this time. I always remember him as a serious man that never cared for children much, but I suppose after adopting you that changed his views…yes, I believe that is how he truly feels - come along now." She said before the smile re-appeared and she continued walking ahead of Doli.

Doli suddenly realized she had ignored the reason Hakan was really upset over the past few days, and began thinking over what Etenia had mentioned. She became troubled by what Etenia had mentioned about Haruk allowing Hakan's tribe to become extinct. It was the first time she had ever heard a devoted and loyal citizen like her Master speak against Haruk's officials before.

Qale arrived at the wide stone steps of the Haruk high council to find a unit of warriors patrolling the grounds. His prestige was acknowledged as they raised their swords in his honor as he passed by them towards the large stone doors that led to the grand hall. At the gate two doorkeepers pulled on the large ropes attached to the doors as they slowly opened. Qale nodded in appreciation and walked into the main hall to find it well-lit by torches and lanterns lining the walls. He began to ascend a large staircase in the middle of the room and opened the doors to the main hallway. The hall was much narrower than the previous and was lit by the sunlight coming through the windows. As he walked towards the doorway leading to the council he took notice of a gray haired warrior in polished silver armor leaning against the wall on his right side. His identity was confirmed by the three red lines tattooed on the side of his face and Qale frowned at the sight of him. The warrior raised an eyebrow and looked to Qale with a slight grin.

"I heard your nephew caused quite a stir-up in the marketplace today, Sir Qale. This would make it the second time in a week, would it not? Surely it's the reason the council saw a need to summon you over the matter…" The warrior greeted.

"The royal guard need not be concerned with matters not threatening to the throne itself. This is none of your business, Commander Shappa." Qale replied.

"It will become my business if you allow that boy of yours to continue his uprisings in the streets. If he continues to speak against the ways of Haruk in such a tone I will exercise my power to put an end to it. It is my duty to do so. You'd best talk to the child before he does something he'll regret." Shappa warned.

Qale ignored him and continued walking down the hall towards the doorway. He began thinking back to the past when he had first enlisted as a warrior of Haruk, and how Shappa was always someone he had disagreements with, but also remembered how he always had respect for Shappa's abilities.

Qale opened the wooden doors in front of him and peered inside to find five of the six tribe elders on the seats of the high council. The three representatives from key warrior tribes sat on the left and the two from the sorcerer tribes sat on the right as it had remained for many years through tradition. Qale then looked down to find Hakan standing in the center of the room being stared down upon as the two guards at his side made sure he stayed passive. He walked up to them to the left of Hakan and signaled for the guards to leave, and they soon after left the room. Qale looked down at Hakan to find his eyebrow split and blood running down his arm as he grabbed his left shoulder with his right hand. He refused to look at Qale, and instead looked down at the ground with a straight appearance on his face.

"Thank you for coming Lord Qale. It was a matter that we believed needed your attention as well." The warrior councilman on the right spoke.

"I am ready to hear the charges. Please explain to me what has happened." Qale asked the councilman.

The councilman on the far left got up from his seat and placed his hands behind his back as he stared down at the miserable Hakan.

"Your nephew has been visiting the marketplace recently and telling the foreign traders to sell their goods elsewhere. He said that this is a place where the 'people are ruled by fools that will eventually destroy their own country as they refuse to 'wake up' as was quoted from one of the merchants Hakan had addressed. That 'these goods you're selling will go to better use in a country that actually has a future' as quoted from another. When he was reported he resisted the commands of the marketplace guards and it eventually led to a fight in the middle of the marketplace. This caused confusion and became a small riot which was only suppressed after a warrior unit was sent there. I understand that you may not have heard of this due to your training with Ahiga of the Blade Phoenix, but this matter simply cannot be overlooked any further! We are hereby ordering you to place your nephew Hakan under confinement until further notice. If he is seen outside of your home he will be arrested and placed into the imperial prison for several weeks. Such is the correct action for disobeying a confinement law. He IS completely under your supervision now, isn't he Lord Qale? I believe that was the agreement we made."

"Yes, that is correct." Qale replied somewhat embarrassed by Hakan's deeds.

The councilman took a scroll from the table and opened it. He read straight down the middle and then looked back at Hakan's face.

"You are Hakan of the recently extinct Dusk Storm tribe, son of Kangi and Taipa. It says here Haruk has placed you as a 1st tier warrior. You have not enlisted in the ranks of a warrior tribe yet boy?"

Hakan said nothing, and Qale stepped forward.

"It has been decided that I will become Hakan's Master after I finish completing my training with Ahiga. That was our agreement."

The councilman looked to Qale with a puzzled look and then cleared his throat before speaking.

"Have you forgotten the law, Lord Qale? Your tribe status is simply too high to train a 1st tier warrior for combat. It must be done by one of the lower warrior tribes. This is something that has not been changed for centuries."

Qale looked down at Hakan and grit his teeth. He wanted to say it was wrong, but had little choice but to obey. It was the second time in a week Hakan had caused a disturbance in the city.

"…As you wish my Lord. I will make proper arrangements to have Hakan transferred to a warrior academy later. Now if you'll excuse us I shall carry out his punishment as has been decided." Qale said bowing in agreement as he pushed Hakan towards the doorway.

As they walked out he was relieved to find that Shappa had already left.

"…Why Hakan?" Qale asked, "I believe I deserve to know that much."

"…How can you ask me why Master?" Hakan quickly blurted out in anger, "Isn't it obvious enough? Haruk has taken everything from me! My home, my parents, and now my dignity!"

"There is nothing that can be done about that now, Hakan! You defied the laws of Haruk, and in doing so have defied me as well as disgraced me in front of the high council! I'll hear no more of this until you can make a good excuse for your actions today! Right now the only thing you have on your mind is your tribe. There is nothing we can do about that now. I too grieve for your mother, but I cannot do anything about that right now. I am to step down from my position soon and if Ahiga is not fully prepared to become a leader it will bring me further shame."

"Why do you care so much about pleasing these fools?" Hakan sulked, "They're nothing but worthless old men that dictate old laws that shouldn't exist anymore anyway!"

They continued walking down the stairs and through the great hallway until they came before the main doorway. Qale paused and did not say a word as he waited for the large stone doors to open. As they began opening he looked down to Hakan.

"I do not serve Haruk for the council, Hakan. I serve Haruk for Haruk and its people alone. So long as I am able to keep Haruk safe from invaders I have done my duty as a warrior of this land. The only thing I am truly loyal to is Haruk itself, not its bureaucrats. Remember that."

Hakan was silent as the large doors finally opened. He followed Qale outside into the courtyard when they suddenly stopped. Qale fixated his eyes on a thin dark haired man in a councilman's robe as he walked past them. The man seemed to ignore Qale as he walked right past him and up to the doors of the high council. Hakan became curious by this.

"Who is that, Master?" He asked.

"That is the man responsible for your mother's death…." Qale replied unpleasantly.

Hakan quickly became upset and looked to the councilman with a face of rage.

"What?" Hakan asked bitterly, "That's the bastard who killed my tribesmen?"

Hakan was about to run up to him as Qale quickly grabbed and restrained him.

"Stop, Hakan!" Qale commanded.

"No! I want to ask him! Why did he do it? I don't understand...!"

The councilman had finished walking inside and Qale finally released Hakan who fell to the floor panting as he looked to the door hatefully.

"Your tribe elder was to become the newest member of the high council of elders, and he, Muata, wanted that position for himself. He and his tribe devised a plan to assassinate your chief which of course as you know succeeded. Therefore by the time your tribe members had retaliated, Muata was already elected, and your tribe's aggression was taken as a rebellious act against the throne."

"But that's not fair! Why did they have to kill everyone? Why hasn't anyone considered him to be at fault?"

"Due to the fact that Muata's tribe offered to engage in combat with your tribe without any assistance there is an old Haruk law that determines it as a tribal dispute, and the victor is clearly awarded the right to be free of crime."

"But that's ridiculous! It's obvious he did it on purpose! Why doesn't anyone try to stop him?"

"The laws of Haruk have not been changed for years, Hakan."

"But why? If the rules are wrong why can't we change them?"

"The law has never been wrong in the past. Therefore the councilmen assume it best not to change it. That is simply the ever-binding law of Haruk. Being true to your ancestry is what being a part of Haruk truly means, and to respect it regardless. You must always know that in most situations the written laws will always prove right."

"That doesn't mean it's ALWAYS right. Master, even you understand something as simple as that! The laws SHOULD be changed to work for every situation!"

"You're right Hakan, but that does not mean you can go around and protest the laws you do not agree with in an open area! That was simply uncalled for, and I will no longer tolerate it! Do you understand? You may have disagreements with Haruk as most do at your age, but with time you will come to understand that Haruk's laws are intended to help it's people, and that although they may sometimes seem harsh they are imposed to better our nation! When I step down from the Blade Knights I will be in the position to accept a position on the high council with time, and I will ask Muata personally about your tribe. I will not allow him to simply ignore the matter once I do. You have my solemn word. Now then, it's time we returned home." Qale said forcing Hakan along.

Still, Hakan could not forget Muata's face, and continued to burn it into his mind as they walked through the busy streets.

Doli had returned to her chamber in the enchantment academy and was gazing out of the window in her room at the streets just below the temple.

"Hakan…you really upset him this time. What did you do down there this time? You used to be such a kind and gentle boy." She wondered as she gazed below.

Suddenly a knock came at her door and she quickly opened it to find an academy maiden at the door.

"I beg your pardon Doli, but you have a visitor from the royal academy."

"Oh?" Doli replied wondering who it could have been having not personally known anyone from the royal academy, "Send them in then."

The maiden stepped to the side as Ahiga came into view. Doli was shocked to see him again and he greeted her with a warm smile.

"Ahiga, was it? Won't you come in?" Doli greeted as Ahiga walked into her room and shut the door behind them.

"Forgive me for intruding on your personal time like this. I know you must be busy with your studies and value your free time greatly."

"It's not a problem at all, Ahiga. I suppose we didn't have much time to talk earlier today. I've been wanting to speak with the boy my Master talks so freely of when I see him, but I suppose it was hard to get acquainted with how mad he was today."

"Yes, sometimes Master Qale even frightens me when he is angry. Sometimes he reminds me off…"

"…A wild desert beast?" Doli giggled attempting to finish the statement.

"Yes, exactly." Ahiga replied laughing.

There was a short pause as they looked towards each other.

"So, you are an enchantress?" Ahiga asked trying to come up with new conversation, "I always thought enchantment was a basic spell learned by most beginner sorceresses. That gives you an idea of how much we warriors know about the magic arts."

"For normal enchantment, you would be correct, Ahiga. A sorcerer's enchantment is a simple method of imbuing a weapon with a special property during a battle. However the enchantress is much different. Through years of practice an enchanter can empower a weapon with the ability not only to increase its own power, but those of the wielder themselves. It is a much more complicated method that takes years of training to perform."

"I think I understand. That must be why I've never seen or heard of an enchanter before your father told me about you."

"Actually there is another reason. Only certain children have the ability to become an enchanter which can be seen a few years into their childhood. I had only been adopted by Master Qale for a few months when the high council discovered I had the ability to become an enchantress which can usually only be found in one out of ten thousand children. They quickly destined me to become an enchantress and I was sent to live here shortly after to learn from Master Etenia."

"I see. Are you happy with this?" Ahiga asked.

"…Why do you wish to know?" Doli asked surprised that he would ask such a thing.

"I'm just curious. Having been trained as a warrior all my life I always wondered what the magic arts must be like to others."

Doli walked over to her bed where she sat and folded her hands in her lap.

"Honestly I am not happy here. I haven't been able to see Master Qale as much as I used to, and although Master Etenia makes as many exceptions as possible so that I can see him it just seems like we've never been able to get close anymore. We used to have long talks when I was younger about what we planned on doing once he stepped down from his military position in the Blade Knights. Now it seems like that will never happen. I'm being forced to learn how to empower weapons and warriors with the ability to kill on a greater scale than they would ever be capable of on a normal scale, and it frightens me. I tried explaining my true feelings to Master Qale, but I don't think he understands."

"I'm sure you find some comfort in knowing just what an important role your ability plays in the well-being of Haruk. Just as we have always been taught in the past, the teachings of Haruk were made only to better us, and it seems as though your duty plays a very important role as well."

"I suppose…" Doli lied, as she had never been able to think of a clear reason to support her duty as an enchantress.

"I…the reason I came to see you again is…I really like you Doli." Ahiga finally spoke.

Doli gazed back at him with a puzzled look.

"I am deeply honored that you think so, Ahiga. I'm sure most people can only wish for such a statement coming from you."

"What I mean is…I think I want you to come with me after you leave this place. With my position I could always see to it that you would be able to see Master Qale whenever you wished."

"…That is a very kind offer Ahiga, but I do not think I would wish to become such a burden to you."

"You would not be a burden to me at all. In fact I have decided…" Ahiga said as he began tying a satin blue ribbon around Doli's arm.

She gasped and tightly gripped the bed sheets in her other hand. Doli tried to respond but had nothing she could think of saying that was relevant. As much as she wanted to speak against it she knew the laws of Haruk had forbidden her to.

"Come, I'll make arrangements immediately." Ahiga said as he took her by the arm and walked with her down into the streets.

After Qale had returned home he sealed himself away in his training chamber trying to forget about the events of the day. For some reason he was having trouble concentrating as every swing brought thoughts of what Hakan had said, and thoughts of what had come to pass.

"Do I understand that the Haruk law can sometimes be wrong?" Qale thought to himself, "…Of course I do, but all is for the greater good. It is something we must come to accept as the people of this land."

Qale sat on the cold chamber floor and placed his sword beside him while thinking the question through in his mind.

"Still, would it not be better to change the old ways to accommodate the needs of everyone no matter what the case? Surely the council has thought of this. The laws were enacted years ago to strengthen Haruk in case of invasion, but such a thing has not happened for thousands of years. Might the outside world no longer wish to conquer us? No one has ever been allowed outside Haruk other than the merchants, and yet the ones I've spoken with have never claimed that the other nations were as barbaric as some have claimed. What is in the world outside of Haruk that is so frightening? For many years the tribes have waged wars on each other, but have never had to band against a threat on Haruk itself as they were meant to do. Such a need never arose. That does not seem right, but why do I only think of this now? Do the people of Haruk really have a need for us in these times? Without a threat of invasion all we essentially are doing is destroying within our own borders. It just does not seem…the right actions to be taking."

Qale left his chamber and walked down the hall to find Hakan sitting straight up in a chair in his room not making a sound. He too seemed to be contemplating Haruk as Qale had guessed. They were both startled by a noise at the door. Qale quickly rushed over to the doorway to find none other than Shappa looking back at him with the same confident smile he presented that morning.

"What is it?" Qale asked getting straight to the point.

"Forgive me for bothering you in this late hour Sir Qale, but the high council has requested your presence again."

Qale paused for a moment and rubbed the hair on his chin.

"Do they request the boy's presence as well?" He asked.

"No. They only asked me to summon you. Please follow me." Shappa said leaving the doorway.

Qale followed Shappa through the quiet streets as they walked towards the High Council. He became deeply curious as to why he was being summoned yet again in the same day. Being that it was so uncommon for a warrior to be summoned to the High Council even within a year he started to become worried as to what he would find waiting for him.

They approached the doorway to the chamber of the elders and Shappa came to a halt.

"I cannot go beyond here. Please, they are waiting for you." Shappa said opening the door.

Qale walked in and the door was quickly shut behind him. In front of him were two of the warrior tribe councilmen and one from the sorcerer tribe, being Muata of the Raging Star. In front of them stood Doli who was turned to the side as if to look away from Qale in shame, and Ahiga who stood in front of Qale with a blank appearance.

"What is the meaning of this summon?" Qale asked looking towards the council members ultimately confused by what was before him.

He noticed a glum look on Doli's face and became worried. Then one of the warrior councilmen began to speak.

"It is nothing to be alarmed about, Lord Qale." The councilman assured, "Both Ahiga and your daughter have come to us today with blessed news. Your daughter Doli and Ahiga are to be wed before the ceremony of his acceptance into the Blade Knights."

Qale's eyes widened in shock by this as he looked to Ahiga who was still looking away and then back at Doli who began to turn towards him revealing a half-complete tattoo of the Blade Phoenix tribe on her face.

"When was this arranged…?" Qale asked bitterly while trying to remain calm.

"Just this afternoon when they came to us with the proposition. Of course we accepted thei-"

"I object!" Qale said strongly interrupting, "This was never discussed between Doli, Ahiga, and myself! As Doli's guardian I have a right to know of such an arrangement!"

Qale looked up to Ahiga who was still turning away from him, and then looked back to Doli.

"Is this truly what you want, Doli?" He asked her as calmly as he could manage to make himself.

Doli did not answer and turned away as if to hide her tears. Qale could tell right away she was not happy at the decision.

"You cannot object, Lord Qale!" Muata said walking in front of the other councilmen.

Qale looked to him with an angry grin.

"I believe I have the right to object to this arrangement! I demand to know first-hand when such a thing happens!" Qale replied while thinking crossly of Ahiga for not telling him sooner.

"Ahiga had no reason to! In accordance with Haruk law one of a higher tribe status has the right to ask one from a lower status tribe for their hand in marriage. It is a custom with a long history as you should know!"

Qale could not deny that he knew, but refused to accept what was happening. He clenched his fists as he felt the laws of Haruk restraining him on all sides while wanting to take actions against what was happening. Suddenly Qale felt a strong urge to speak on a matter that he was keeping to himself until then, and could no longer hold back.

"…Who are you, councilman Muata, to dictate Haruk's law to me when you yourself know that you had indirectly acted against your better judgment when you slaughtered the Dusk Storm while hiding behind a law from thousands of years ago?"

Muata became upset by this and began to raise the tone of his voice as the two other councilmen observed the argument not saying a word. Doli and Ahiga remained silent as well as ashamed.

"That incident has no connection with the argument that is at hand! I acted within the laws of Haruk, for the better of Haruk, in my personal opinion! We feared the Dusk Storm elder had been secretly planning to take items from the ancient vault to use against the outland tribes such as my own, and we acted accordingly! The rest of the matter does not involve you!"

"It was my sister who was a part of that tribe. I have the right to ask at least why you felt a need to annihilate them all?"

The room fell silent for a moment, and Muata returned a blank stare towards Qale before smiling.

"Sometimes, Lord Qale, you do not need to use words to explain your actions. I choose to leave it at that." Muata said walking back.

"It is settled then, Lord Qale." One of the other councilmen spoke, "Ahiga and Doli are to be wed within the next week with or without your approval. I apologize for bringing this upon you at this time."

Qale unwillingly fell silent before the rest of the council before looking to Ahiga once again who was now turned away from him and then looked back towards Doli. He walked up to her and gently began to speak.

"Doli…is this what you want? If not please answer me. That is all I wish to know."

Qale leaned in closer when he suddenly heard a faint "no" and then backed away slightly. He then nodded to her with a slight smile before walking out and slamming the doors behind him. Outside waiting was Shappa whom he quickly passed up. Shappa just watched him descend the stairs to the main hall and smiled. Too blinded with rage to think of Ahiga he quickly marched through the streets attempting to keep from losing his calm nature. Upon reaching his home he quickly closed the door behind him and walked into Hakan's room to find him still sitting up straight in the same chair. Qale walked over to his bed and sat down while placing his hands on his knees and staring straight forward recalling how Muata had dismissed the eradication of the Dusk Storm as though they meant nothing. The thought of Haruk allowing such a man to become a leader began to disturb him. Soon Hakan began to take notice of him and turned around.

"What did they want?" He asked nervously, "Am I being sent off to the training barracks soon?"

"…No." Qale replied quietly.

"They're not going to imprison me are they?" Hakan asked again.

"It was not about you!" Qale snapped.

"Then what was it?" Hakan asked anxiously.

"They…Ahiga…foolishly shamed me before the council, and Muata was aiding them to do so."

Hakan began to become upset again upon hearing the name and grit his teeth.

"What did that bastard say about my tribe now? I want him to say what he said to my tribe elders in front of me by himself! I want to know why he killed my mother! It's just not fair! It's not fair…!" Hakan cried.

"Listen to me then, boy!" Qale replied frustrated grabbing Hakan by the arms, "Do you want to leave this place behind? Do you? Do you want to try your chances in the outside world? No one has ever dared leave Haruk permanently before and lived! I would never have even considered leaving Haruk until now! But Hakan, you were right. I was just a blind fool conditioned by the old ways until now to actually see it for myself. Unfortunately it took me too long to figure it out for myself and now you have lost your mother and I have lost my sister, and if we do not act soon I will lose my daughter as well! Doli is to be wed to Ahiga by Ahiga's proposal very soon."

"What?" Hakan replied shocked, "I had no idea Doli liked Ahiga."

"I do not believe she does. That is why we must hurry. Haruk is not the place I once knew it as, and I refuse to serve it as a warrior any further. If you do not wish to remain here either then it is settled. We leave Haruk tonight, and we will take Doli with us."

Hakan became overjoyed by the news. It almost felt as if he was dreaming. But then he suddenly became nervous again.

"But how will we leave? I've never heard of anyone escaping from Haruk successfully before. All I can remember seeing are those that attempted to escape and were publicly executed in the streets…" Hakan said remembering the grotesque images of the failed escapees he saw as a child and began to shiver.

By the time Hakan had finished his sentence Qale was already busily writing at his desk and rolled up a note which he placed in Hakan's hand.

"I need you to do this for me Hakan if we are to be successful. Take this note to the enchantment temple and ask for Master Enchantress Etenia. Tell her to give this to Doli right away. Once you have done so come straight back here, understand?"

"Y…yes…" Hakan said still caught up in trying to comprehend what was actually taking place at that moment.

Qale stepped outside and threw his cloak around his shoulders just as a light rain shower began to fall. He paced through the wide streets cautiously as though attempting to hide from anyone that would be able to identify him and eventually came to a quiet narrow side street with flats lining both sides of the area. It was a poor looking neighborhood, and at the same time appeared well-kept. He approached a flat that appeared the most elaborate out of the rest and knocked at the door, and shortly after a gentle brown-haired housewife answered the door with a kind smile. Her eyes quickly widened with happiness to see him.

"You are Sir Qale of the Blade Knights! It's most definitely an honor to meet you in person my Lord; my husband has told me so much about you! I must thank you for helping him as you have." She said bowing, "Please, come in."

"Forgive my rudeness madam, but I'm very busy at this moment. Could I speak with Kajika shortly?" Qale asked.

"Yes, of course. I'll tell him you're here." She said going back into the house.

Qale looked to his sides to see if anyone had noticed him and was relieved the streets were still empty. He then looked into the house to find Kajika's two sons sitting at a table across from him. The moment was then interrupted as Kajika came to the doorstep.

"Why, Master Qale, what can I do for you?" Kajika asked with his typical smile.

"Kajika, I've come to ask you for a favor…" Qale started.

"Anything my Lord. Just name it." Kajika replied enthusiastically.

Qale took a deep breath as though the request seemed even too quick for him to understand, but then opened his mouth.

"Kajika, I'll need to leave Haruk…tonight." Qale said quietly so as no one else could hear him besides themselves.

"You need someone to transport you outside of the borders for a mission?" Kajika asked.

"No…I mean to escape from Haruk with my daughter and nephew. I'll need to do so tonight." Qale again spoke.

This came as a shock to Kajika. He could not understand why Qale, one of the most influential people in Haruk, wished to leave it.

"I don't understand…forgive my rudeness my Lord, but may I ask why?"

"If I do not leave soon something terrible will happen to my daughter which I absolutely cannot allow. It is a decision I have thought through well, and I know that you are the only person I could truly trust to help me accomplish the task. Please help me, Kajika." Qale begged.

The smile disappeared from Kajika's face and he scratched his head. After a few moments he nodded.

"If that is truly what you wish for Master Qale then I will certainly do everything I can to help you. I can arrange for transportation outside of Haruk at the gates to the northwest in an hour." Kajika offered.

"That will be more than enough time." Qale said happily, "Thank you Kajika."

Qale peered over Kajika's shoulder and looked at his children behind him.

"I understand I am asking much of you and that you are endangering yourself by helping me…" Qale said.

Kajika looked back at them and then looked back at Qale with a smile.

"If you hadn't helped me fend off those bandits last winter in the market my family would have starved to death. If the situation arose I'd give my life to you, my Lord."

"Very well. I shall meet you at the northwest gate in an hour. Please do not inform your family as I need as few people to know what is taking place as possible."

"I understand. Until then, Master Qale." Kajika said as Qale swiftly began walking away.

Now Qale's escape plan was being set into motion. With the beginning of a new life in sight Qale's thoughts turned to the Haruk he used to know, and the Haruk he had come to feel that had betrayed him.

"All my life I wished for what I had become, and with a few words read from an old scroll all of that was taken away. I will not allow those I care for to be harmed by them. If Haruk wishes these things on them then I detest Haruk. I loathe the very laws which bind it. Drowned in your own blindness you fools until the laws which you so consistently adhere to come collapsing down on yourselves." Qale thought as he took a knife from his side and ran it over the tattoo on his cheek.

He returned home to find Hakan waiting patiently by the gate. Hakan was stunned by the large gash in the side of Qale's face but said nothing.

"What happened?" He asked.

"The arrangements have been made. We will leave Haruk within the hour." Qale replied, "Follow me."

Qale began walking away and Hakan followed before having a chance to say anything in return. They walked down a quiet street into a neighborhood with large homes that appeared as though they were each separate temples. Qale walked up to the grandest in appearance on the right corner of the street and signaled to Hakan to remain where he stood. Hakan did as instructed and watched Qale climb the stairs to the doorway. He began wondering who the house belonged to but could only see the outline of the doorway as Qale blocked his sight. Qale knocked at the door once and placed his hand to his waist waiting for an answer.

After a few moments the door opened to a slightly aggravated Muata.

"What is it at this hour?" He said before looking up in shock to find Qale standing in front of him.

Qale pulled his hand away from his waist which had been holding his sword the entire time and swiped it across Muata's abdomen. Muata gasped and began to stumble forward as Qale caught him with his other hand by his open jaw as he stared wide-eyed into Qale's angry face.

"Sometimes you don't need words…" Qale whispered to the dying Muata coldly before quickly swatting him back into the doorway of his home leaving a splatter of blood across the wall.

Muata was left to die on the floor as Qale shut the door and turned around flicking the blood from his blade. When Hakan saw this he gasped realizing what had just happened. Qale sheathed his sword and walked back down the steps to meet Hakan.

"Your mother and your tribe can rest peacefully now, Hakan." He said, "Now let's go meet Doli and our task is done."

Hakan began to follow Qale again while thinking about what happened. He knew that Qale was now completely serious about leaving Haruk having committed one of the greatest crimes in the country. At the same time there was both a feeling of justice and emptiness when he thought about Muata as they continued on.

Etenia walked up the stairs quietly so as not to awake the others when she began to hear sobbing coming from behind Doli's door. She opened it slowly so as not to startle her and Doli quickly turned around to see who it was from her desk. When she noticed Etenia she quickly turned back and wiped the tears from her face.

"Are you all right my dear?" Etenia asked.

"Yes, I'm just fine, Master." Doli said attempting to hide her sorrow.

Etenia walked up next to Doli and placed her hand on her shoulder and then held the letter Hakan had delivered next to her.

"I have a letter here that is addressed to me. Actually the contents inside is addressed to you. It's from Master Qale." Etenia said.

Doli quickly turned around and peered down at the opened envelope. She pulled the letter from it to still find the seal of the Blade Knights firmly secure on the letter itself.

Doli's spirits began to lighten and wondered what it could have been about as she quickly tore it open. She began to read the writing which she was sure was Qale's handwriting:

_My Dear Daughter_

_Terrible things have taken place today which I have only been made aware of now. I understand that you do not wish for what the Council has forced upon you and I do not intend to allow them to. For many years I have served Haruk as a guardian to ensure that it remained safe for us all including yourself and Hakan. As you know I was to step down shortly and have my position replaced by Ahiga, but it seems that these matters which have taken place against my will in secrecy have forced me to take a more serious action. I have enclosed in this envelope instructions for both you and Master Etenia that must be followed as our time is becoming shorter with every passing moment. Master Etenia will guide you outside of the temple where you will join Hakan and me shortly. If all goes according to plan, by the time you have read this I will have made plans with a merchant friend of mine to escape from Haruk tonight into the Zebulan Mountains where we shall remain until we can find a settlement elsewhere. Of course I realize this news has come quickly, but we have no other choice at this time. We can discuss the rest once we meet at the temple gate. Please be safe until then._

_Qale _

Doli took her eyes off of the letter and looked up to Etenia who glared back with a saddened appearance confirming what she had just read.

"I'm so sorry Doli. Forgive me, but I must ask you. How do you feel about this?"

Doli stared down for a moment and fell silent before looking up at Etenia to give her an answer.

"I will be sad to leave my home Master, and to leave you behind. However I believe you deserve to know the truth. I'm glad. Glad that I will never be used as a tool for the tribe wars under the Blade Knight's banner. I'm just glad." Doli said as the tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"That's as it should be." Etenia smiled and admitted, "I'm very happy to hear you say that as well. You are a sweet child that does not deserve the burden of the enchantress. I'll miss you as well Doli, but I'll also be glad that you were able to escape this fate. There may be others, but I will not be teaching them…I can assure you of that. I'm sure Qale will succeed, and soon you will be freed from this nightmare and wake up in a new and promising world. I've always heard great things about Zebulos from the merchants. I'm sure you will find your place there as well some day."

"Thank you, Master." Doli said overjoyed to hear this, "Thank you very much."

They were startled by the sounds of footsteps in the rain coming from Doli's window. Etenia rushed over and peered down at the gate to find Qale and Hakan waiting.

"They're here." Etenia said almost happily, "Come child, let's go meet them."

Doli followed as they hurried down the stairs and opened the door quietly. Qale looked to them with surprisingly calm eyes after what he had committed and Doli quickly jumped into his arms and began to cry. Qale embraced her and rested his palm on her head.

"I'm sorry Doli…" He spoke softly, "Is this all right with you?"

"Yes…" Doli sobbed, "Yes, I'll be all right."

She slowly began to ease away from Qale who looked in Etenia's direction as she looked to him concerned. Qale turned around to Hakan and Doli.

"Hakan, go upstairs and help fetch Doli's things. Come back as quickly as you can."

They nodded and quickly ran upstairs leaving Etenia and Qale alone.

"…I suppose this means you are taking your retirement earlier than you had planned, Lord Qale…"

"Yes. I have little choice regardless. My views of Haruk have changed after standing and having to listen to councilman Muata disgrace me in front of the council by lying about his true intentions."

"So you too have realized the errors of our laws. I guess this is your way of escaping from it then?"

"I am only leaving because of Doli and Hakan. They are good children that deserve a better future than Haruk can offer them. I feel this country has made enough mistakes, and this time I refuse to tolerate it any further."

"So then this is about councilman Muata as well. You realize even after you're gone he'll continue to get away with his corruption, don't you Qale?"

"He's dead…" Qale replied.

"…I see…" Etenia replied understanding what he meant in full, "Then I guess you have no choice but to leave now. If they catch you they'll execute you and imprison both Doli and the boy."

The room fell silent again and Etenia retired to a chair nearby along the wall. Qale had little to say as he had not spoken with her for years based on the differences in their duties.

"I must thank you for taking care of Doli. You have helped her in many ways most Masters would have not."

"Oh shut up, Qale…" Etenia suddenly snapped, "You know just as well as I do you did not want Doli to be taken from you and brought here. She cried constantly for you during the first few months, and I did not want to see her forcibly taught any more than you did. I am just pleased that you came to her rescue this time when Haruk attempted to force her into something else she wanted no part of."

Qale became angered at this but kept himself silent as he knew it was the truth. He remembered back to when Doli was first taken from him and felt helpless to do anything. Tied by his status he allowed them to take Doli to train in the ways of the enchantress and detested it every day.

"You're right…I was a stubborn fool that believed the Council only did what was best for everyone. I followed the belief that all worked for the greater good until the very end, but no longer. You have my word I will make sure both of them are safe from any harm. I'll give my life to ensure that." Qale spoke as the lightning from outside illuminated his face wound.

Etenia jumped up upon seeing it and looked at it in shock that he had defaced one of the most important assets of a Haruk warrior.

"Let me heal this…" Etenia offered.

"Let it bleed." Qale replied refusing her offer.

She calmly sat back down now sure Qale was completely resolved on his decision to flee. After breathing a deep sigh she then looked back up to him.

"You always were so straightforward once you set your mind to something, Qale. Unfortunately I realized the errors in Haruk's ways many years ago and never was my resentment stronger than when they asked me to train your daughter in the arts of enchantment. Of course I tried to refuse, but the council insisted that I followed through. After hearing what had happened to the Dusk Storm and your nephew it does not seem all that surprising that it caused the events which led up to this. Zebulos…it certainly sounds like a wonderful place to escape to…"

"You are welcome to come with us, Etenia. I believe I can arrange for one more." Qale offered.

Etenia thought for a moment and then brushed it off with a chuckle.

"No, Qale. I can't. Unfortunately I don't have the will to do something as bold as you are doing at the moment. Take those children and see to their safety, and then that will bring me enough peace of mind."

Qale walked up closer to Etenia and smiled.

"I thank you. Truly I do. I have always been an admirer of your kindness and generosity for others." Qale said.

"If you admired me so much back then why didn't you do what Ahiga did?" Etenia huffed looking away, "I was hoping that you would before you left to become a Blade Knight…"

"I…I'm sorry Etenia. The Blade Knights was the only thing on my mind it seems, and I had forgotten about everything else at the time…" Qale replied blushing.

Etenia just laughed and Qale looked to her puzzled.

"…I suppose now I can find it in my heart to forgive you Qale as I know what mindless fools you young warriors can be. You must realize that Ahiga has only acted because he is confused by his emotions just as you were when you were that age. I'm sure time will bring him to his senses. Try not to think about him now…" Etenia spoke.

Qale thought about Ahiga for a few moments before forgetting about him again as an important question arose in his mind.

"Etenia, I was never able to ask anyone about this before, but now that I will never have another chance, I must ask you. Please tell me. What are the sacred blades?"

Etenia fell silent and began to turn pale as she sat and looked away for a moment.

"What is it you wish to know?" She asked uncomfortably.

"How much of it is true? Are they really just legends, or are they actual weapons. Can weapons really exist that can destroy entire civilizations by themselves?"

Etenia took a deep breath before answering.

"What I'm going to tell you must not be told to anyone. Soon you'll soon understand why. I will only tell you what was communicated to me as a student of my Master, and what I've collected during my brief time in the ancient libraries. Thousands of years ago during the great Pigstar invasion a number of solutions were presented by the ancient Haruk. In order to combat the Devotindos, the Haruk agreed to combine Zebulan weaponry with Haruk sorcery as a means of finally putting an end to the battle."

"The Sacred Blades were created for that purpose?"

"Five sorcerers created a masterful spell that allowed a weapon to be imbued with spirit energy that would enchant the blades with power beyond anything anyone was able to imagine at the time. The spell required such a tremendous amount of spirit energy that the casters themselves had to be scarified and in turn became one with the blades themselves…"

Qale stood wide-eyed when he heard this.

"Then the sacred blades are real and are possessed by the ancient spirits of the sorcerers that made them?"

"Yes…that is correct. The sorcerers never told anyone how to create the weapons and the spell was lost forever. These blades were quickly put to use amongst the Zebulan warriors and the results were staggering which ultimately let to the Devotindos surrender shortly after. Then the blades were then sealed away in the ancient vaults of Haruk with other weapons where the Haruk hoped they would remain. Those weapons are the basis for Haruk's isolated nature that has been a part of our culture ever sense. That is truly what most of the scholars believe."

Everything began to make sense to Qale as he continued listening.

"So then the blades are real, and that is why no one has seen them since…"

"That's not necessarily the truth either." Etenia corrected, "It was believed that there are only four of the five blades sealed away in the ancient vaults, and that one of them remained in Zebulos since its creation. The scholars believe it is still being wielded even today by the Zebulan Rocket Knight known as the 'White Blade.' Upon hearing this, the council became curious as to the actual power behind the sacred blades, and decided to find out how much of the legend was truly legend, and how much was fact. They have put many royal smiths to the task of trying to re-create the blades, but since the smiths never knew that the smiths of ancient times simply made the weapons and not imbued them with their abilities as the sorcerers had, none have ever been successful."

"Do you mean there are warriors in Haruk that are wielders of the sacred blades?"

"Three of the four are currently being used within the ranks of the Royal Guard where the throne can keep a close eye on them. One of the things I was forced to swear never to tell was the fact that I had been asked to find the source of the weapon's power. I could tell right away it was not created through any forms of enchantment…even the advanced forms which I am trained in. Only when I read the ancient scriptures in the library did I find out the truth of its creation. I do not know for sure, but I believe they were going to ask you to take the fourth blade into your possession until Muata put a stop to that upon entering the Council."

"I would have refused after hearing what you have told me…" Qale said honestly.

"And they probably would have sent the Royal Guard to kill you." Etenia replied, "Either way it would not have been an easy choice for you. The remaining blade was the most evil taken into possession by a master of the dark arts. It was never used in battle for that reason. Many believe that through its evil enchantment it would bring death to its wielder unquestionably, and was therefore nicknamed the 'Gravemaker.' That is everything I know."

"…Thank you Etenia. It was something that has been on my mind for a long time."

"As I'm sure it is on most warriors' minds." She replied, "But you needn't worry about such things any longer. Haruk will continue to keep the remaining blades safe in its borders for as long as it can. Right now you have other things to worry about."

Doli and Hakan returned carrying Doli's belongings with them, and Etenia opened the door for them. They walked out into the streets as Qale took the lead. He began looking around for any signs of soldiers but the streets remained empty. He suddenly saw something twinkle off to his view to the left and became startled. Etenia too noticed this and gasped as she quickly jumped in front of Qale. A dagger jabbed into her left shoulder that would have otherwise struck Qale directly in his chest. Qale quickly grabbed Etenia to prevent her from falling and crouched looking for the source. Etenia quickly yanked the dagger from her shoulder and noticed a familiar icon engraved into the blade.

"The Royal Guard…" Etenia said slowly rising. Qale continued to look around.

"I should have known he was following me…" Qale said thinking of Shappa.

Suddenly a figure leaped down from a rooftop close by and Shappa appeared out from the shadows smiling. Qale waved to Doli and Hakan to take cover behind the stone wall at the temple gate. Shappa slowly drew his sword from his back and walked forward as he dragged it across the stone street. Qale was about to take position when Etenia quickly threw her hand out in front of him. He looked to her surprised.

"Wait, you don't have time for this. Your merchant friend may be caught if you are stalled by him. I can take care of this fool myself. Hopefully he has not told anyone of what you have done yet." Etenia whispered

"I don't think he has." Qale whispered back, "If he has been following me all evening he probably intended to deal with the matter himself. That is how Shappa thinks, but I cannot let you fight him alone. He is a Royal Guard."

"Hurry and meet your merchant then." She said not paying any attention to the warning, "He should be no problem for me. Best of luck to you, Lord Qale. Take care of Doli for my sake."

Qale hesitated before nodding and quickly ran down the street with Doli and Hakan. Shappa began to run after them when he was suddenly thrown back by an enormous unseen force that threw him to the floor. He quickly stood up and took his guard noticing Etenia.

"I don't like being ignored…" Etenia spoke, "Still poking your nose into other people's business are you, Maros?"

"Traitor…" Shappa snickered, "I should have known you would have sided with Qale. By aiding him in disobeying Haruk's laws you are no better than he is. He has killed a councilman and must be brought to justice."

"It's not treacherous to punish the wrong when they are clearly wrong. Old men that sit in their chambers reading dusty scrolls of written laws would not understand that. Besides, so long as I kill you no one will know what really happened."

"You intend to kill me?" Shappa laughed, "Then I'm interested. No one has ever seen your true powers before, enchantress. This should prove to be an exciting little fight."

"Very well, come. I will show you the power of the enchanters which you so desperately wish to see." Etenia said throwing her cloak over her left shoulder.

Shappa held his sword up and rested the blade in his palm while presenting it in front of Etenia and smiled.

"Do you recognize this weapon?" He asked, "It was given to me by the late councilman Muata. I had planned on using it against that traitor Qale, but I suppose you will suffice."

Etenia gazed at the Royal Guard's broadsword and then noticed something strange about it. She peered closer to find a runic scripture engraved into the blade.

"Gaia's Judgment…" She gasped, "So they gave you a sacred blade as well."

Shappa swiftly struck the blade against the street and it quickly ignited a yellow flame which engulfed the blade.

"Its power is exactly as the legends said. I'm sure it even surpasses your own enchantment." Shappa laughed, "I have always wanted to sample your abilities until now. The sword has more power than I will ever need!"

Shappa ran forward and Etenia huffed. As he barely grazed her cloak with the heavy sword she planted a ball of spirit energy in front of him.

"Die…" She giggled into his ear as she dashed by him

The ball imploded before him and created a crater beneath his feet, but Shappa still emerged while patting down his singed armor. Again he came after her and she was quickly able to dodge the heavy broadsword as it slammed into the ground where she stood. Just as she moved out of the way she quickly touched the blade with her finger that caused a ripple in the flame.

Shappa quickly pulled the blade from the ground and examined it before looking to Etenia aggravated.

"What have you done, enchantress?"

"I've done you a favor, Maros. You said you wanted to sample my power so I have done just that. By doing so I can defeat you without taking a single action."

Shappa became confused by this before he felt great warmth circulate through his arms. His sword suddenly became lighter as a wave of confidence fell over his consciousness. He began laughing madly from the sheer power.

"Yes…I can feel it. So this is the power of the enchantress. You were careless to believe you'll be able to defeat me now." Shappa grinned, "It will be the last mistake you ever make!"

Shappa swung upwards and released a violent flash from the flaming blade which Etenia quickly dashed away from as it slammed into the ground and erupted into a shower of gravel.

"That sword is more powerful than I thought…!" Etenia thought, "I may not live through this. Just a little more time…"

She continued dodging the fierce slashes which began to turn her temple courtyard into a battlefield as Shappa, blinded by power, continued while freely using the seemingly unlimited power source of the earth-imbued blade aided by Etenia's enchantment spell. Clutching the dagger thrown at her she quickly threw it in Shappas direction. He continued walking towards her with a grin even after the blade sunk into his shoulder not taking his eyes of Etenia for a second. Bringing the sword down onto the ground once more he quickly flung it upwards towards her. Sparks emanating from the tip of the blade blinded her vision as the blade cut shallowly into her side just as she backed away in time. She pressed her hand into her side and then removed it to peer down at her blood soaked cloak.

"You can't avoid it forever enchantress. Now taste what you've brought upon yourself!"

Shappa dove towards Etenia fiercely. She quickly placed her hand out in front of him as a thin magic barrier was all that prevented the weapon from coming into contact with her palm a short distance away. She struggled to maintain it as the clash of spirit energy sent shockwaves out beneath their feet. Cracks began to form in her protective barrier as Shappa continued to press inward. Noticing this Shappa grinned while backing away and winding his sword behind him. Etenia held her breath as Shappa struck a mighty blow which shattered the barrier and sent her to the floor. She crawled back and looked to him hatefully.

"Damn you!" She cursed.

"You should have tried a little harder being pitted against me." Shappa laughed, "Off with you now. I'll be sure to send your companion with you soon enough!"

Shappa attempted to grasp his sword but found it non-responsive to his command. He pulled on the mighty broadsword as it refused to give. Etenia watched this and began chuckling.

"It finally caught up to you. I granted you the power of enchantment, but that did not mean you would be able to control it for very long. Through the amplification of that blade it's simply too much power for you to handle." She laughed.

Shappa remained silent while tugging more violently with every passing second. With all of his might he quickly pulled upward and managed to grasp the sword above his head as it swung down quickly in front of him taking him along with it. Etenia quickly jumped out of the way as he stumbled forward with the heavy sword. The yellow flame around the sword began to glow brighter as Shappa began to break out in a sweat and slowly stood up still holding onto the weapon.

"How did this happen so quickly? I…I was fine until now! I can handle this much! Why does it refuse me?" Shappa said as he quickly grasped his throbbing head.

Suddenly he could control it no loner and fell backwards. The flame around the sword quickly extinguished after Shappa collapsed. Etenia walked over to him and sighed while brushing the dirt off of her robe. After going back into the temple to clean her injury she returned to where the body of Shappa was resting beside his sword.

"Defeated by the very power you wished for. It is a fitting end for you, Maros." She spoke over him.

Etenia kneeled down at his side and examined the sword. She slowly reached out to touch it when it began to react and glow brightly as if to keep her away.

"Stubborn, aren't we?" She said quickly grabbing it, "You should have known better than to trust yourself to this man. I'll have to put you back where you belong and then dispose him before someone notices."

Etenia concealed the sword in her robe and left the temple grounds as she began walking down the street towards the town. Upon entering she noticed some commotion down a street that led to a residential area. She looked to find a crowd of soldiers and people around Muata's home. A boy was running past her which she quickly stopped.

"What is it?" He asked as though he was in a hurry to join the crowd.

"What is going on over there?" She asked.

"Councilman Muata was murdered tonight! The guards are saying they think that Lord Qale did it! They sent people to go look for him, but I heard nobody can find him!" The boy replied before hurrying on.

Etenia stood watching the boy run on with her jaw open concerned for Qale.

"They found out so quickly…did that foolish Shappa alert the guards after all?" She said looking in the direction Qale was headed, "Please be safe…"

The canyon walls covered the moonlight above as Hakan and Doli struggled to keep up with Qale. They continued to move through the complicated mountain paths to avoid being discovered.

"Are you sure you know where we're going, Master?" Hakan asked.

"Of course I do, Hakan. When I first enlisted in the military I was sent here often to find my way back to the city. It was sort of a training exercise." He replied.

"I can barely see the path in front of me. Do you know how much further we need to go?" Doli asked.

"It is not much further. We should meet Kajika any moment now."

"Master…" Doli asked in a worried tone, "Do you think Master Etenia will be all right against Maros?"

Qale fell silent for a few moments.

"…Maros Shappa is a feared warrior even amongst the Blade Knights, but you needn't worry. Your Master is quite capable of handling herself even against an opponent like him."

They proceeded down a trail until they reached the very bottom of the canyon to find a hooded figure sitting beside a wagon. Qale, Doli, and Hakan slowly approached him as he removed his hood to reveal himself as Kajika.

"I apologize for making you wait, Kajika." Qale quickly said.

"It's not a problem at all Lord Qale!" Kajika said with a smile, "I just arrived here a few moments ago. It was a long journey from the city, but I've managed to collect the things we will need to safely transport you over to Zebulos. Actually this couldn't have come at a better time to be honest. I was already registered to travel to Zebulos on business since yesterday. As far as the council will know I've been gone since then so no one should suspect anything."

"That is good to hear Kajika, but we should be on our way now. I am uncertain of how long my actions will be kept unknown by the guards." Qale replied.

Kajika agreed, and they quickly began walking the last trail that led to Zebulos.

"Once we cross over the mountains we will have a short journey to a cabin I was using up until a few months ago. You can find shelter there until I can help you find a place of permanent residence." Kajika informed them.

"Will we be safe from any outsiders finding our location? We cannot have any hunters stumble upon us…" Qale asked.

"You should be safe so long as you stay in the mountains. I suppose it will be all right for you to travel out into the mainland at night when no one else is around, but you must keep your travel limited for the first few days. The Devotindos and Zebulan armies are moving along the borderlands, and you should avoid a conflict with them as much as possible."

The trail led through a damp cavern which began to lead them upward and outside into the rain where it finally leveled off. They approached a sharp turn to which they slowed their pace and helped Kajika move his wagon past. Hakan began to lose his balance behind him, but was quickly caught by Doli. He tightly gripped the rock wall with his sweaty palms as he slipped around the mountain side where he found an old abandoned shrine in an open area and a path leading just beyond.

"That's it!" Kajika said, "Once were beyond the courtyard of this shrine the path leads directly outside of Haruk. Soon you'll be in Zebulos so it's best if you say your goodbyes now."

Qale, Doli, and Hakan began to reminisce of their lives in Haruk as their pace slowed while recalling memories they would soon leave behind.

"Etenia…I'll always remember your patience with me no matter how stubborn I was in the past. Hopefully we will be able to meet again someday…" Qale thought as they continued walking.

"I'm sorry that things had to end this way, Ahiga. I was just not prepared for something like that to happen so quickly, and I can't let my abilities go towards bringing harm to others. Please forgive me, and thank you Master Etenia for all that you've done." Doli said to herself.

"…Mother, please don't be sad for me. I'm with Qale now, and I know he'll take good care of all of us. I'll be all right now knowing that the one that caused us so much grief is gone. I have to go now, but someday I hope to be able to return and visit you once again." Hakan thought to himself.

They continued their sorrowful march as the sound of the raindrops fell with their footsteps. As they began to cross over the shrine courtyard they looked ahead to the path in front of them marking a new future. Suddenly Qale turned his ear behind him and heard running through the wet courtyard drawing nearer. He glanced back quickly with an angry grin as a feeling of hatred began to swell in his mind. As he guessed, Ahiga came dashing towards him with his blade drawn. Doli looked back and was horrified at the sight as Qale yanked his sword from his back, grasping it firmly, and running towards him. Doli cried out to them to cease in great sorrow, but neither would listen as they darted across the open area. The tension between former master and former student grew greater and greater as they neared. Doli tried to rush towards them as Hakan and Kajika were quick to keep her at bay.

"I'm sorry my dear, but you shouldn't go out into that!" Kajika warned as Hakan looked to the two warriors in awe.

Ahiga quickly dashed to the right as his movements became a blur before them and leaped towards Qale. His sword bashed into Qale's as the edge of the blade struck Qale in the mouth. Qale was quick to respond as he attempted to trip Ahiga as he had before, but Ahiga quickly evaded. Ahiga backed off near the edge of the courtyard as Qale swiftly dashed across and swiped his Blade upward. Qale's blade cleanly struck Ahiga's shoulder and continued through a lantern behind him which quickly split in half from the clean cut and came crashing to the ground. Ahiga was still stumbling backwards from the hit when Qale quickly dashed behind him and smacked him down into the stone floor head first.

"Stop…!" Doli muttered under her breath as she continued to try and break free from Kajika and Hakan's hold on her.

Ahiga and Qale were now back on their feet equal grounds apart. Qale grinned angrily at Ahiga exposing his bloody teeth as blood rolled down the side of his mouth from a nasty head wound where he was struck by Ahiga's sword. Qale stabbed his sword into the ground as he stood before him. Ahiga quickly glanced back at Doli as she sobbed on the floor.

"Why, Doli?" He called to her, "Why will you not accept my offer?"

"Do not answer!" Qale yelled imperatively while taking a few steps forward.

"Why won't you let her answer Master Qale, and why did you kill councilman Muata? I don't understand why you've turned your back on the council and why you're now trying to take Doli away from me. Don't you understand? Soon I will be the leader of the Blade Knights! I can protect Doli and make sure harm would never come to her, ever! And later when I gain the respect of the others she would become more respected than even a council member as long as she stays by my side!" Ahiga replied.

"Enough!" Qale cried, "You are blinded by the same ideals I was when I was your age! Everyone told me that once I became respected I would never have to worry about anyone ever again! Instead I came to find my dear sister was murdered and my daughter was taken from me at an early age to be used as a tool for making weapons only to be used to bring more unrest to our land! If I leave Doli with you that is exactly what her future will hold, and that is something neither I nor Doli wish to happen! How dare you insult me by not consulting me before you tried to take her hand! You have abused the laws of Haruk and in doing so have involved yourself with me, and I will do anything to make sure that Doli is kept away from here even if it means my life!"

Doli gasped when she heard this and saw Ahiga preparing to attack again. Qale stomped his foot into the ground causing his sword to rise from it which he quickly caught and leaped out of the crater beneath him which he created. Doli finally broke free of Kajika's hold and ran towards them only to find herself too late as she watched Qale swat Ahiga's blade away as it sunk deeply into his arm while smacking into Ahiga's arm with his own sword creating a loud snapping sound. Ahiga's right arm immediately fell limp to his side as he dropped his sword and backed away. While grabbing his gushing arm he quickly looked up startled as Qale tackled him to the ground while tightly gripping his uninjured left hand around Ahiga's neck as he ultimately long to kill him with his own hands. Ahiga looked into Qale's eyes with terror as he struggled to breathe. Doli quickly ran between them and placed her arms between them trying to keep them at bay.

"STOP!" She cried loudly, trying to receive a response.

Qale refused to listen, blinded by rage and refused to let go of his hold. Doli grabbed his wrist and tried to pull the hand from Ahiga.

"Do it! Do not stop him Doli! Finish me you old fool!" Ahiga spoke with what little breath he had left as his grip began to weaken around his gushing right arm.

Qale tightened his grip until he suddenly saw Doli's tears fall on the back of his hand that gripped Ahiga's neck and roll off.

"No…! No more of this! I don't want to see anyone else die because of me…Never again!" Doli cried with a crackle in her voice as she slowly sank to her knees on the ground with tears rolling down her cheeks.

Qale suddenly let go and fell back sitting on the floor gazing down at Ahiga on the floor as he began breathing hard. Hakan and Kajika watched this off to the side with their jaws gaping. Qale quickly wrapped his arms around Doli and covered her from the rain.

"This is not what I wanted you to see. Forgive me, Doli…" Qale spoke to her as she continued sobbing.

Together they stood up after Ahiga was finally well enough to sit up. He gazed in front of him at the path to Zebulos they were about to travel.

"They told me to find you, and that you had taken Doli with you." Ahiga said softly to them, "They ordered me to kill you if necessary, and for a moment I think I almost wanted to. I didn't want you to take Doli away, but I did not really understand why. I'm just confused…forgive me Master. I'm ashamed to even be in your sight right now…"

There was a long pause as Ahiga sat on the ground in shame. Qale at last picked himself off of the ground with Doli at his side and stared down at his pupil.

"Today you've proven to me that you're still a boy, but perhaps some day when you're ready you'll come to learn that rank and status which Haruk bestows upon you means little more than nothing!" Qale said staring down at Ahiga.

They waited for Ahiga to answer, but he said nothing. Doli wanted to say something to him but could not find the words. Qale took his arm around Doli as they turned their back to Ahiga and began walking towards the path. Ahiga quickly stood up and looked to them.

"Wait…!" He called, "Please tell me what I should tell the council! I have already caused you enough hardship, and I will risk my honor by keeping your true intentions tonight a secret. Please, Master Qale!" Ahiga begged.

"Tell them whatever you wish. Tell them I ran like a coward if you must. But know in your heart that you never had the pleasure of me killing you! For that, I demand that you live; I command it as your Master's last wish onto you. Learn from the mistake you have made and brought upon the both of us. Learn from it, and then let it make you a stronger warrior in life. You are the leader of the Blade Knights from this day forth. Do not shame either of us any further. You must learn from everything I've taught you in order to do so!" Qale said turning his head in Ahiga's direction briefly.

Qale then turned away one last time and followed them down the trail to Zebulos. Ahiga bowed his head in compliance until they faded from sight. Doli paused momentarily and looked back to Ahiga before wiping the last of her tears away as Qale accompanied her forward into the mysterious new world.

Qale finally arose from the floor with his sword and walked out into the yard beside the cabin. He began his daily practice routine that he practiced every morning with Ahiga. Just as he raised the sword above his head for another swing he noticed Blaze had returned from helping Doli at the river and was sitting off to the side observing him. He gazed down at the boy as he looked to him with a fiery glare in his eyes. Qale paused and smiled before walking over to him.

"You seem to have a keen interest in swordsmanship, Blaze." Qale spoke.

Blaze slowly walked forward and looked up at Qale wide-eyed with an enthusiastic smile.

"Does this mean you'll teach me how to be like you?" Blaze quickly replied.

Qale looked to the ground and chuckled, and then sat on the tree stump nearby. He then signaled Blaze over to join him. Blaze sat beside Qale looking up to him while waiting for him to speak as a smile remained on his face as though he were thinking. Qale looked down to Blaze and patted him on the head once.

"You are a good child, Blaze. Doli has been complimenting your efforts these past few days quite often, and I suppose I have not thanked you properly yet either. But Blaze you also must remember that you are still not well enough to be taking so much responsibility onto yourself, and no one here is forcing you to do these things."

"Thanks Qale, but I like helping you guys out." Blaze replied, "…Actually it helps me get my mind off of other things…"

"Yes, I suppose it would…I understand." Qale said thinking about what Blaze had told him.

There was a short pause between them before Blaze asked again.

"I just want you to teach me how to beat those Devotindos pigs so that I could do it too one day if I really had to…"

"I know…" Qale said seriously as the smile disappeared from his face, "Blaze, do you know what people who know the swordsmanship that I do have to do once they learn it?"

"What's that?"

"They have to kill with it. That is why we have to be strong. Warriors from Haruk have only two possible outcomes when they do battle. One is to kill and stay alive until the next battle when they are needed again, and the other is to fail and lose their life. I hate both of those. That is why I no longer use my skill unless those around me are in danger."

"But that's all I want to use it for too! I want to be able to protect people from those Devotindos maniacs so that they can never do what they did to my village ever again! I want to make them sorry for what they did to us!" Blaze said becoming frustrated.

"I know you are still upset Blaze, but to teach you the ways I have learned would only bring you further harm in the end. This is hard for you to understand now, but someday you will realize that vengeance is not the path to take to let go of your frustration and sadness. Zebulos has a powerful military that is led by a very special knight that even possesses some of my abilities, and he understands this too which I am sure of. In time Zebulos will bring your Devotindos marauders to justice. You must have some patience in the meantime, however, for your parent's sake."

"Maybe…but what if they don't? There's too many attacks for the Rocket Knights to handle all by themselves! That's why my village was attacked before they could help anyone! That's why my parents are gone! I want to do something about that myself!" Blaze argued.

"It is natural for you to want to do so now Blaze, but at the same time you may not want the path of a warrior later. You are still too young to make such a decision now. Enjoy being young while you can." Qale said smiling to him.

"…yeah…" Blaze replied with a frown and a sigh.

Qale saw this and looked to him once more.

"Well…I suppose it would not hurt to teach you a few things if you insist, but nothing too dangerous now. Is that agreed?" Qale replied.

"Sure!" Blaze replied happily agreeing to the bargain.

Qale walked behind him and placed his sword in front of Blaze as he slowly reached out in front of him to take it from Qale's grasp. Qale began to ease away when he suddenly noticed the heavy broadsword begin to sink towards the ground. He quickly caught it and helped Blaze to balance it while laughing.

"I believe this may be too heavy for you, Blaze." He chuckled, "Let's try a basic technique then. Raise it slowly up…"

Blaze began lifting the sword above his head as Qale quickly stepped to the side to avoid being struck. He continued to hold the sword along with Blaze.

"Now, swing downward…" Qale commanded.

Blaze slowly brought the blade down in front of him.

"Like this?" He asked looking up to Qale.

"Yes…very good." Qale replied smiling down at him.

Blaze repeated the process again and again along with the help of Qale. He began to increase his speed faster and faster when an image began to form in his mind.

"Where have I seen this before?" He wondered.

Then he recalled the night his village was raided, and saw Captain Despote bring his sword down his father's back. Blaze suddenly snapped and raised the sword quickly over his head in one movement. This caused Qale to let go as Blaze surprisingly continued to carry the full weight of the sword while he brought it down and struck the ground below him. The mighty strike was executed in perfect form as the leaves parted on both sides of the Blade which dug itself into dirt where they laid just moments before. Blaze suddenly took his hands away from the grounded weapon and was panting slowly. The image had disappeared in his moment of exploding hatred for Despote and he looked to Qale who had a surprised look on his face from what had just happened. This time he looked to find a different appearance in Blaze's eyes. He no longer saw the eyes of the innocent child, but instead gazed into his cold deep stare. It was a look he had only seen in Ahiga's own eyes. Qale became somewhat concerned by the boy's fiery appearance before him as he kneeled down next to him.

"Are you all right?" Qale asked, "You just carried that last swing by yourself you know."

"…Yeah…I'm fine. Sorry." Blaze apologized.

"There is no need for that. You are doing very well. Would you like to stop and continue this later?" Qale offered.

"No." Blaze quickly replied, "I think I'll try it a little more."

Qale again positioned himself beside Blaze as he continued helping him with his swings until he found his help was less and less needed. He watched as Blaze continued showing no signs of wanting to stop as he began to see things that reminded him of his days in Haruk, but there was something else that he found unique. As he continued observing he began to feel as though Blaze was performing better with every swing. It was something he had never encountered in a student before so quickly. When Qale finally realized Blaze was not his student he became concerned and finally asked him to stop. Qale placed his hand on Blaze's shoulder before taking his sword and retiring to the cabin while Blaze remained out in the yard wiping the sweat from his forehead while wondering when he would be permitted to practice again.

That night Qale and Hakan sat around the fire outside while waiting for Kajika to arrive with news. Doli took Blaze inside the cabin and tucked him into bed.

"You were more than helpful today Blaze. Now get some rest." She said covering him with the blankets.

"Doli, do you think Qale will let me practice with him tomorrow?" Blaze asked.

"I don't know." She replied with a smile, "But he spoke very highly of your effort today. I think you might be making Hakan a little jealous. He probably will let you practice again soon, but try not to think about that right now."

Blaze smiled at this and closed his eyes. Doli gently kissed him on the forehead before walking outside to where Qale and Hakan were sitting.

"He's such a sweet child. What say we take him with us when we leave here?" Doli suggested.

"You can't be serious! Take that child with us? Never! We're already endangering him enough as it is letting him stay with us! To take him further on our journey would just endanger his life even more!" Hakan exclaimed.

"So then you admit that you too care for the boy Hakan?" She replied.

Hakan fell silent and there was a short pause until Qale cleared his throat.

"Enough." Qale interrupted, "We will not know until Kajika arrives whether or not we ourselves will even be allowed to leave these mountains. Once that can be determined I will decide whether or not it will be safe to take Blaze with us or not."

"Master, why did you allow Blaze to practice with you today? Why would you refuse me and instruct that…child!" Hakan asked upset.

"I was not instructing the boy, Hakan. He simply asked if he could try it for himself, and I believed he deserved a chance after all that he has helped with these past few days."

"He seemed very excited about it." Doli added in, "In fact Blaze asked me if I thought you would consider letting him practice with you again."

Qale thought for a moment as he recalled the events that day and when he witnessed the fire in Blaze's eyes. The thought became unsettling as he sighed to himself.

"Blaze shows…very promising ability. In all of my years teaching children no older than he was at the time in Haruk, Blaze seems to possess something I had only seen in one other person my entire life. Maybe it is just these Zebulans and their lifestyles that have influenced him, or perhaps the events which he has come to experience, but I find it very disturbing."

"In what way, Master?" Doli asked curiously.

"At first I believed he was just another boy fascinated by swordsmanship, but I came to realize today that he truly does possess the warrior spirit. I almost found it frightening that the child has such potential in him. Perhaps these Zebulans aren't so different from us after all…"

"Then you'll teach him how to be a warrior?" Hakan asked.

"…No." Qale replied, "As I said before my teaching days are finally behind me. I would not dream of turning Blaze into a weapon of war no matter how much he begged me to instruct him. Not to mention I have also considered the fact that some of his determination is also being created by his hostility towards the Devotindos Commander which attacked his village. To cause a child to wish for such vengeance is simply...unforgivable. If only the situation were different I would find this Devotindos Captain and deliver justice to him myself.

Just as he finished his sentence Kajika appeared before them and slowly approached the campfire with the same friendly expression about his face.

"Forgive me for taking so long Lord Qale, but the Zebulan guards have been asking many questions lately in the towns. It was hard to find out anything with so much military tension in this area right now."

"That is understandable Kajika. Please, we all wish to know. When will we be able to leave these mountains?" Qale asked.

Everything fell quiet as Kajika lowered his eyes looking into the flames before him and sighed.

"I wish I could have brought better news for you all, but it seems the situation is getting very bad here on the borderlands. As a result you will not be able to leave here for another six months to a year at best…"

Everyone looked to Kajika shocked.

"Then we have to stay here even longer? Why?" Hakan asked upset.

"It seems the royal powers in Haruk are becoming increasingly impatient and are demanding the return of their prized enchantress and the murderer of councilman Muata immediately. They are also accusing you of kidnapping enchantress Etenia as well." Kajika replied.

"…She must have left Haruk as well…" Qale said referring to Etenia.

"The enchantress disappeared the very night you left. Now that the news has spread to the hunters along the Zebulan borderlands it's just too dangerous for you to leave here I'm afraid. I have considered various options and could only come up with one solution. If you were to leave the mountains and take up residence in Zebulos the hunters would surely find you with time. Therefore I have concluded that it would be best for you to move on into Wolfen territory when the time is right. It is the only place you could blend in while not having to worry about being pursued by the mainland Devotindos hunters. You may have to remain there a few years or perhaps longer before you could even consider returning here to Zebulos. I'm terribly sorry Lord Qale."

Everyone became upset by this news as the conversation fell silent while they thought.

"…And how would we get to this Wolfen land?" Qale asked.

Kajika rubbed his head before answering.

"The actual journey itself would be a matter of days, or perhaps longer, and would involve having to sneak through the Devotindos border. I won't lie to you all when I say that it will be very risky. Still we cannot simply assume that this threat will disappear. Even by remaining in seclusion up here in these mountains you are still in danger as the attack a few days ago made clear. In an unstable economy such as the one found in this land the hunters will surely be out looking for you once you leave this place."

Qale slowly stood up and began pacing behind Doli and Hakan. Expecting to hear good news the warning which Kajika delivered came as a complete shock to him.

"Master what will happen to Blaze?" Doli asked looking up to him.

Qale stopped for a moment and turned his head towards Kajika.

"Were you able to find out anything about the boy's village?" He asked.

Kajika nodded slowly and looked to Qale as though he was about to deliver more bad news.

"The village has been completely abandoned. Most of it was damaged beyond repair and with the new battle lines being drawn between the Rocket Knights and the Devotindos it has certainly proven no place to take up further residence." Kajika replied.

Qale continued to pace for a few moments before another idea came to mind.

"When the time comes, what if we were to take the boy with us? Would that be a possibility?"

Again Kajika shook his head with a frown.

"Under current conditions I would not be allowed to bring anything through the Devotindos border large enough to conceal the boy, and any Zebulan would quickly be arrested on sight. The only way we will be able to get the three of you across is by disguising you as Wolfen citizens. I'm not sure what to say…"

Qale began pacing again while thinking of Blaze.

"I can't bring him with us yet I promised him that I would watch over him as long as I could. Things are just happening too rapidly now for me to keep that promise in full. Still…something has to be done. I cannot abandon Blaze, nor can I have him risk his life for us." Qale thought as he continued pacing.

Suddenly he stopped and quickly turned his head towards Kajika.

"Kajika, you mentioned that a town was being built by a former Zebulan Knight, did you not?" Qale asked.

"Yes. It will become a Zebulan stronghold with the purpose of strengthening the defenses on the boarder once it is complete. Why?" Kajika asked.

"…I cannot simply leave this boy here to live for himself, nor can I risk any one of us escorting him to the capitol. If I sent you to meet with this local Lord do you suppose he could take the boy in?"

"Actually Lord Qale I have already met with him before I found out that you were now wanted here in Zebulos. I thought perhaps that it might have been a fair place to take up residence in for yourselves. He seems to be a fair person, but from what I could tell he is only interested in warriors. In a stronghold society such as his a child would only get in his way."

"At least long enough until the boy can decide on what he wishes to do on his own. From there he can travel back to the Zebulos capitol and find his villagers from there if he wished to." Qale proposed.

"I suppose such a thing could be arranged." Kajika agreed, "I could arrange some sort of a bargain with the Lord and have someone check on the boy from time to time to ensure he is not harmed, but how will you convince him to take the child in?"

"…I will give him just what he demands." Qale replied uneasily, "Once the proper arrangements are made I will meet with this Lord with Blaze and decide whether or not I approve of him taking custody of him. In the meantime I will prepare Blaze for the actions that will come in the months ahead."

"As you wish, Lord Qale." Kajika said getting up, "I will continue to see if other options arise. Hopefully Haruk will give up with time. Tomorrow morning before I leave to return to Haruk I will meet with this Lord and return with his decision. That is all I can do for you now, but I will continue to bring more information to you when I return from Haruk again."

"Thank you Kajika. I hope so as well." Qale said sincerely as he watched Kajika leave in front of him.

Qale sat down again next to Doli and Hakan as they all remained silent still upset by the news that was delivered to them. He then glanced behind him at the cabin where Blaze was peacefully resting and began to worry.

"Only six more months, and then this child will be on his own unless this Lord is as fair as Kajika claims. It is just too soon." Qale thought.

"This makes me sick. To think that the Haruk guard could cause so much trouble for us even after we already left. We're always going to have to hide, aren't we Master?" Hakan asked bitterly.

"Don't let this discourage you, Hakan. It is just taking Haruk longer to part with us than I anticipated, but sooner or later they will have to give up on us. That is when we will truly be free from their grasp." Qale replied.

Doli said nothing and continued to frown looking towards the flames as though she was lost in thought.

"This has upset us all, and I believe we all need to get some rest." Qale suggested.

"Yes, you two go ahead. I'll go to bed shortly." Doli replied quickly.

Qale and Hakan retired into the cabin while Doli remained outside looking around her at the trees and the rock formations in the distance.

"This really is a nice place." Doli thought, "I wouldn't feel right trying to take Blaze from here either…"

Qale remained awake in his bed as he continued thinking about the news Kajika had brought them and what he was now faced with doing. His thoughts turned to Blaze and to what he would now have to do to ensure everything turned out for the best as his thoughts of a quiet life away from danger had now completely faded. He slowly got out of bed and walked out into the yard where he was surprised to see Doli still awake around the dying fire in front of her. He slowly walked over so as not to startle her and she turned around and looked to him with a warm smile. Doli then looked up at the sky as Qale sat beside her and sighed.

"Master...after all that's happened...are you regretful at all?" Doli asked quietly as she looked up to the stars.

Qale paused for a moment unprepared to answer such a question before answering.

"What do you mean? Are you having regrets Doli?"

"No...I was just wondering if I was alone in not having any..."

There was a short pause again as Qale thought back to his battles in Haruk and his final days as a warrior of the shadowed nation.

"...I have no regrets...none whatsoever..." Qale replied sincerely, "I can only hope Ahiga does a better job than I have."

"I'm sure he will…Ahiga did seem like the type of man that will make an excellent commander…" Doli replied as her thoughts turned to Ahiga.

"Are you sure this is all right for you? You will not be able to return once we leave these mountains should you decide to change your mind later...I know you and he were to be married..." Qale reminded her.

"Yes, but I've put that past me now. He has his position and I have mine, and I would not be happy being a part of his. I'm sure he understands this."

"Very well..." Qale replied as he got up and started walking towards the steps.

"Where are you going?" Doli asked watching him.

"There is something I still must do for Blaze's sake. If we are to leave him in the company of strangers in a few months then I must prepare him to deal with the world much sooner than he should have to. It is the only thing I can offer him." Qale said while walking down the steps leaving her sight.

Qale continued walking down into the valley and out into the great wasteland along the border. Soon he came across the same canyon where he had found Blaze days before and traveled beyond the stream until he came to the gates of the burned down village. He looked around him for signs of scouts, but could see or sense no one. Slowly he walked into the center square of the town where he gently kneeled down onto the ground.

"So this is where your boy is from…" Qale softly spoke out into the open, "Please know that I only wish to comfort your son during these difficult times for him, and that although we do not have much time I will make every effort possible to ensure his well-being. I do not know whether he is ready to learn from me, but he shows great promise. Just know I only mean to do so for his own safety. These dark times in your land have brought him much misfortune, but through my teachings I intend to allow him to defy that misfortune which was brought down upon him. It is my gift to him, and the only way I know how to bring him tranquility. Please forgive me."

After taking a brief bow Qale left the abandoned village behind him and walked back to the canyon along the route. He returned to the inner stream and slowly stepped into it being cautious where he stepped. As if expected a dark yet inviting glow illuminated from the center of the stream in front of him as he quickly walked over to its source and crouched down. The light began to take the shape of a broadsword which he grabbed and removed from its watery resting place. The light quickly began to fade away in Qale's hands as he observed the oddly disfigured craftsmanship due to the Devotindos alteration.

"If what Etenia said is true then you were once a sorcerer of old times…" Qale spoke to the Blade, "In that case I ask of you…no…I beg of you to watch over a boy that may need your help. If I cannot hide you away from Zebulos and Devotindos in my custody then perhaps you can be hid away in his. At least until I or someone else can find a way to have you returned to your rightful place. This Zebulos is a strange land that is perhaps even stranger than Haruk in some ways. Do not worry, Blaze. I will make sure that you will be able to live in these times ahead. I swear it."

Qale then hid the sword in his cloak as he quickly left the streamside. On his way back he began to think of his decision as both a caretaker to Blaze and former warrior of Haruk while he remained confident that he was doing the right thing. All the while the blade rested at Qale's side calmly as though it were patently waiting for its fated reunion.

To Be Continued - (Possibly!)

This was only a prologue and took a lot of effort to complete with my current schedule. If you enjoyed this please let me know by reviewing! It will help me decide whether or not to continue writing this story!


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